


Due North

by purewanderlust



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, References to Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2013-08-13
Packaged: 2017-12-23 07:57:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/923833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purewanderlust/pseuds/purewanderlust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen is a barista with a sordid past, Jared is running away from the shambles of his engagement; they come together in the wilderness of Caribou, Maine. Jared is everything Jensen isn't: outgoing, noisy, and cheerful. It's annoying. Especially since Jared has apparently decided that he likes Jensen and will stop at nothing to get a date with him. Jensen can't send him away as long as he's paying for coffee, and Jared won't take no for an answer, so Jensen agrees to a single date. With a little luck, and the magic of the Northern Lights, maybe they can have a chance after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to take a minute to say thank you to the wonderful Audrey who, as you'll see, is an incredibly talented artist. I know her August was unexpectedly busy, so I just really want to give her kudos for getting all of this done. She went above and beyond the call of duty and I'm lucky to have had her as my partner in my first ever attempt at a Big Bang. 
> 
> Thanks also to my dearest love, Jenna, who beta'd for me. I kept sending her snippets and bemoaning my lack of motivation on Skype, through text, email, everywhere, and she took it with so much grace. She pointed out when my sex scenes sounded a little awkward and corrected my obsessive comma usage every time without a single complaint. 
> 
> And of course, thanks so much to our wonderful mods, wendy and thehighwaywoman, who never failed to answer any questions or concerns I had along the way. You guys are the bomb! I'm so excited to be a part of this for the first time, and I'll definitely be back next year!
> 
> You can see Audrey's masterpost of art for this story [here](http://sapphrein.livejournal.com/664.html).

Jared Padalecki could say, with complete honesty, that he had never though he would ever be moving to Maine; that he would abandon his beloved San Antonio for the 40 degree highs of a place called Caribou, of all things. Population: a measly 8,500, and only a twenty-minute drive from the Canadian border.  
  
Of course, if you’d asked him a month ago what he thought life had in store for him, his answer would’ve involved Sandy, a gorgeous sprawling ranch, and maybe three or four children running amuck.  
  
Yeah, that worked out so well.  
  
“Are you sure you want to do this, baby?” Sherri asked for what was probably the hundredth time, giving her son a tremulous smile. “You know you don’t have to go running away across the country.”  
  
Jared sighed. “I know, Momma. It’s not running, it’s just…something I need to do.”  
  
“I know, JT, but I worry about you.”  
  
“I’ll be fine, Momma,” Jared hurried to reassure her. “I’ll have Chad with me.”  
  
Sherri’s eyes flicked over to where Chad was wrestling the last box into the back of the UHaul, cursing up a blue streak. “Somehow, that doesn’t exactly make me feel better,” she said sarcastically.  
  
“He’s got a good heart,” Jared defended with a little chuckle.  
  
Sherri shook her head, but she was smiling. “He must, because I know my son doesn’t pick bad apples.”  
  
Jared thought about Sandy, and how oblivious he had been, how shocked that she was calling it off. He didn’t think he was quite as good at reading people as his mother seemed to think, but he didn’t argue.  
  
Sherri’s eyes were suspiciously misty when Jared glanced down at her again. “I’m gonna miss you, JT.”  
  
Jared wrapped his arms around his mother, dipping his head down to rest on her shoulder. “I’mma miss you too, Momma,” he mumbled. “I’ll call every week.”  
  
“See that you do,” his mother said sternly, pulling back to look him in the eyes. “It’s been lonely around here since your father’s been gone.”  
  
“I know,” Jared said softly. “Have Megan set you up with Skype when she comes down next weekend, and then we can video chat, a’ight?”  
  
“That sounds lovely, baby,” Sherri agreed. She gave him another squeeze and then stepped back, blinking away tears. “Now go on, get. You’ve got an awful long drive ahead of you.”  
  
“Ready to go, J-Man?” Chad asked, ambling over to clap Jared on the shoulder.  
  
“Just ‘bout.”  
  
“You look out for my baby, Chad,” Sherri instructed, tugging the blond in for a hug.  
  
“Always do, Mrs. P.”  
  
“I’ll call when I get there, okay momma?”  
  
“See that you do. And pull over if you get too sleepy.”  
  
“I know, I know,” Jared said, rolling his eyes. “And I’ll use my turn signals too.”  
  
Sherri swatted his arm playfully. “You better not be sassing your momma, Jared Tristan!”  
  
Jared bounced out of her reach, laughing. “Never!” He sobered up fairly quickly. “I love you, momma.”  
  
“Love you too, baby,” Sherri replied with a tired smile. “I hope this move helps you find what you’re looking for.”  
  
“I hope so too.”  
  
***  
  
The first few hours of the drive were fun; sodas and a jumbo-sized bag of beef jerky split between them, the radio blasting some Top-40 station Chad had found. Jared sang along to the songs he knew and made up words for the ones he didn’t, heedless of his friend’s mocking from the passenger seat.  
  
Chad was a good friend, even if he was kind of a douchebag. He got that Jared didn’t feel much like talking, so he provided noise and fun instead, and Jared appreciated the effort.  
  
After the first four hours, though, Chad glanced at the map and gave a low whistle.  
  
“Dude, we still got 32 hours to go,” he said. “If you want me to be in any sort of shape to drive when it’s my turn, I’mma need a nap.”  
  
“Yeah, dude, ‘course,” Jared agreed, turning the radio down to a murmur while Chad clambered over the seat and into the back of the cab, cursing when he slipped and fell.  
  
“You okay, princess?” Jared asked, grinning when Chad flipped him off in the rearview mirror.  
  
“Wake me when it’s my turn to drive, asshole.”  
  
Jared made a noise to the affirmative and Chad fell asleep almost instantly, head pillowed on his jacket against the passenger-side door. It was an ability that had always impressed and amused Jared in equal measure. He’d never been able to manage it, himself.  
  
Unfortunately, without Chad’s antics to distract him, Jared’s mind wandered inevitably back to Sandy. To say he’d been blindsided by her quiet pronouncement would be a gross understatement. It had been the most shocking thing that had ever happened to him, and not in a good way.  
  
 _“Jared…I don’t think we should get married.”  
  
“Oh…well, that’s okay, we can wait for a--”  
  
“No, I think we shouldn’t be together. We should break up. For good.”_  
  
Just two months earlier, he’d gotten down on one knee in freakin’  _Paris_ , and then suddenly she was pressing the ring back into his hand and leaving him sitting alone, shell-shocked, at the table in their favorite Italian restaurant.  
  
What kind of person thought it was a good idea to break off an engagement in a public place, anyway? Having a room full of people to witness your life deteriorating only made everything that much worse. Jared didn’t think he’d ever be able to stomach chicken fettuccini again.  
  
And Jared genuinely didn’t begrudge Sandy her decision. It was her life, and he didn’t want her to marry him if she didn’t love him. But if that was the case, why had she said yes to his proposal, only to turn around and leave him?  
  
It had hurt, more than Jared could have ever imagined, and he had to get away. So he’d sold the ring and used the money for a deposit on a little rental house as far away from Texas as he could think of: Caribou, Maine.  
  
Jared was pretty sure this was either the best or worst decision he’d ever made in his life. And he only had 30 more hours to dwell on it. Yeah. This was gonna end well.  
  
***  
  
Jared drove until it got dark and his eyes were burning from exhaustion before he found a truck stop to pull over.  
  
“Dude,” he hissed, swatting Chad’s thigh. “Wake up, ‘s your turn to drive.”  
  
“Five more minutes,” Chad groaned, throwing an arm over his face.  
  
“There’s a Mickey D’s in the truck stop.”  
  
Chad opened one eye, squinting suspiciously at Jared. “Big Mac?”  
  
“Get your own, asshole,” Jared said without much heat. “I’ve been driving for fifteen hours—I’m tired.”  
  
“Fine, Jaredina, I’ll get up.” Chad levered himself up into a sitting position. “But I’ll have you know it’s the lure of red meat, not your puppy eyes, that I’m doing it for.” He slid out of the cab and cracked his neck, glaring up at the taller man.  
  
Jared pouted. “You can’t resist my puppy dog eyes!”  
  
“Keep telling yourself that, Jarpad,” his friend said, groaning as he stretched out on tiptoe.  
  
Jared climbed into backseat and stretched out, then fixed Chad with his saddest eyes. “Bring me some French fries?”  
  
Chad laughed and took off towards the building. “Fuck you, dude!”  
  
But when he came back, five minutes later, he shoved a Super Sized carton of fries into Jared’s hands.  
  
“Not a word,” he warned, climbing up into the driver seat and slamming the door.  
  
Jared grinned, heedless. “Can’t resist the puppy dog eyes,” he sing-songed, laughing when Chad flipped him off in the rearview mirror for a second time.  
  
He was still smiling to himself when he finished his fries and lay out across the seat. The hum of the engine was soothing, and it wasn’t long until he dropped off to sleep.  
  
***  
  
When Jared next woke up, he was disoriented and sore all over. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but finally Chad’s mumble-singing under his breath permeated his consciousness and he dragged himself up into a sitting position.  
  
Chad was slumped halfway over the steering wheel, staring blankly at the road. He didn’t even blink when Jared hauled himself back over the into the passenger seat.  
  
“Dude, you wanna switch?” Jared offered, even though he didn’t really feel all that rested himself. Maybe his momma had been right and they were going to have to stop for the night.  
  
Chad shook his head. “We’re like five minutes away.”  
  
Sure enough, as he was speaking, a sign flashed by, proudly welcoming them to Caribou. A few minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of a quaint looking little house with blue shutters. A stocky, dark-haired man was standing on the front steps, a big black and tan dog sitting faithfully at his feet.  
  
“Called the landlord when we were about 20 minutes out,” Chad mumbled. “Didn’t want to sleep in the truck again.”  
  
“We’ll have to unload the mattresses,” Jared pointed out.  
  
“Worth it.”  
  
Jared stumbled out of the cab, his back popping as he stretched. Chad staggered to his side as the landlord stepped forward, hand extended.  
  
“You must be Jared,” he said, shaking Jared’s hand firmly. “I’m Jeff Morgan.”  
  
“Nice to meet you,” Jared said with a tired grin, glancing at the dog who had followed him over. “And who is this?”  
  
Jeff grinned. “That’s Bisou; she’s my best bud.”  
  
Jared knelt down to offer the dog his hand for inspection while Jeff and Chad made their introductions. “Hey, girl, how you doin’?”  
  
Bisou sniffed his hand cautiously and then allowed him to scratch behind her ears, whining contentedly.  
  
“You have a dog, Jared?” Jeff asked, watching them with a warm smile.  
  
“Two of ‘em,” Jared answered. “Harley and Sadie; they’re coming up next week.”  
  
“Maybe y’all can set up a doggy play-date.” Chad said, with a roll of his eyes.  
  
“Not a dog person?” Jeff asked Jared, eyes twinkling.  
  
“Not so much.”  
  
“I like dogs!” Chad protested. “I just don’t like them more than people the way Jay here does!”  
  
“He’s also cranky because he hasn’t had his beauty sleep,” Jared teased, and Jeff threw his head back and laughed while Chad scowled at them.  
  
“Well I’ll leave you boys to it, then,” Jeff said. “Once you get all settled in, you’ll have to come over for a barbeque…and that doggy play-date.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan,” Jared answered, shaking his landlord’s hand for a second time.  
  
Jeff let Bisou jump into the pickup before climbing in himself, starting the engine, and pulling out with a cheerful wave.  
  
“Weird dude,” Chad said after a moment. “I like him.”  
  
They ended up deciding it was too much effort to unload the mattress just then, and Chad climbed into the trailer to drag out the couch cushions and a couple blankets. When they unlocked the door and stumbled into the bare living room, Jared didn’t even bother to look around their new home, just dropped his set of couch cushions on the floor and collapsed on top of them. He saw Chad mirroring the action out of the corner of his eye before sleep claimed him once again.  
  
***  
  
The smell of pepperoni pulled Jared back to consciousness a few hours later. He was sprawled half on the hardwood floor, half on the cushions, with a blanket wrapped around his torso and head, but when he recognized the smell, he popped up immediately, blanket slithering back to the floor.  
  
“Pizza?” he asked hopefully.  
  
Chad smirked at him from his perch on the other set of couch cushions. A stack of pizza boxes sat by his knee and he had a giant slice of pepperoni pizza in hand. “Hungry, J-Man?”  
  
“Gimme. Please,” Jared added, sitting all the way up. Chad shoved the boxes over and Jared scooped up a piece, still hot enough to burn his tongue.  
  
“I dunno how you can sleep through the doorbell, but just the smell of pizza can wake you up,” Chad commented.  
  
“With a stomach like mine, “ Jared said, patting his belly, “excellent sense of smell comes with the territory.”  
  
They finished eating in a companionable silence and then Jared gathered up the boxes to take out to the dumpster. “I guess we should start unpacking huh?”  
  
Chad groaned, flopping back against the cushions. “Do we have to?”  
  
“If you wanna sleep in a bed ever again, then yeah.”  
  
“When you put it that way…” Chad murmured. “My porn’s all packed up, too.”  
  
Jared flung a couch cushion at his head. “Dude, TMI.”  
  
Chad threw him a wolfish grin. “Aw, baby, don’t be jealous, I still love you more. Just not in a sexy way.”  
  
Jared climbed to his feet and offered his friend a hand up. “Guess I’ll just have to keep pining for you then. One day, you’ll realize you love me too.”  
  
“In your big gay dreams, Padalecki.”  
  
***  
  
Between the two of them, they got all the boxes and furniture from the truck and into the house in just under two hours. Chad took the truck back to the UHaul center, and Jared set to work unpacking his room. By the time Chad got back, he had his bed and entertainment system set up and was starting in on his clothes.  
  
“Dude,” Chad said, leaning against the doorjamb and watching his progress. “I did lunch and took the UHaul back, so you’ve gotta get dinner.” He tossed Jared’s keys at him and Jared dropped the sweater he was holding to catch them, one handed.  
  
“Sounds good. I wanted to explore town anyway.”  
  
Chad snorted, “Not much to explore, to be honest. This town’s tiny.”  
  
“So what took you so long getting back?” Jared asked, puzzled.  
  
His friend smirked. “Got held up with the girl at the UHaul store.”  
  
Jared made a face. “Why am I friends with you again?”  
  
“Because of my charming personality and your big gay crush on me,” Chad quipped. “Now go get me some dinner, bitch.”  
  
Jared whacked him upside the head on his way out the door, laughing at the outraged noise his roommate made.  
  
***  
  
The town, Jared discovered, was just as small as Chad had claimed. It only took him five minutes to get from their new house to Main Street, and Jared decided to park and wander around for a while before he picked up dinner. He left his car parked along the curb under a street light and started down the sidewalk with no particular destination in mind.  
  
A bright red “Help Wanted” sign caught his eye and he stopped, leaning forward to peer through the shop window. There were precariously stacked boxes everywhere, labeled neatly with Sharpie: “Fantasy,” “Historical,” “Romance.” Beautiful floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, empty and waiting. A bookshop, then. Jared grinned. He’d loved to read ever since his English-teacher momma had taught him how.  
  
Jared climbed the steps and let himself in through the shop’s front door. Somewhere deep with in the shop, he heard the faint chime of a bell, followed by a startled yelp. A few seconds later, a dark head popped up from behind a teetering stack of boxes.  
  
Jared took an involuntary step backwards, chest tightening painfully. The tiny, dark-haired woman reminded him so strongly of Sandy that he was thrown, uncertain what to say for a moment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—I’ll just go.”  
  
“Oh, no, don’t go!” the woman said, making her way over through the maze of boxes. “It’s just so quiet in here, you startled me.”  
  
“Sorry,” Jared repeated. He felt a little foolish, and still blindsided by the reminder of his ex, and he was beginning to wonder if he shouldn’t have come in.  
  
The woman didn’t seem to have any similar reservations, offering her hand with a sunny smile. “I’m Genevieve Cortese.”  
  
“Jared Padalecki,” he replied, taking her hand automatically. “Just moved into town.”  
  
“Well, welcome to Caribou,” she laughed. “What can I do for you, Jared?”  
  
Jared smiled, despite himself. Genevieve’s chipper attitude was infectious, and he’d never been very good at being stoic to begin with. “I just saw your sign. You’re hiring?”  
  
Genevieve took a step back to get a better look at him. “You’re not a serial killer, are you?” she asked, face serious.  
  
Jared huffed out a laugh. “Never hurt a fly.”  
  
“And you like books?”  
  
“Been reading since I was four.”  
  
“Know how to work a cash register?”  
  
“Sure,” Jared answered.  
  
Genevieve grinned again. “Perfect! You’re hired!”  
  
“Just like that?” Jared asked, surprised.  
  
“Just like that,” she agreed. “Can you start Monday? I know you said you just moved here, but I was really hoping to do the grand opening on Monday. We can get all the paperwork and stuff done then, if that’ll work?”  
  
“That’s great!” Jared exclaimed when she finally stopped for breath. “You’re pretty awesome, Genevieve.”  
  
“No, really, you are,” she corrected. “I was afraid I was going to have to get this place started up all by my lonesome.”  
  
“Glad to help,” Jared said, smiling. “Listen, I hate to run, but my roommate’s waiting for me to bring back dinner.”  
  
Genevieve nodded. “There’s an awesome old-school diner on the corner—you should definitely check it out. Jim makes an excellent cheeseburger.”  
  
“I will, thanks!” Jared said, reaching for the doorknob. “Any other advice for the newbie?”  
  
“If you like coffee, you’ll wanna check out Kitchy Coffee right across the street,” Genevieve answered, pointing. “They make the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had.”  
  
“Excellent,” Jared said. “Thanks so much for everything, Genevieve!”  
  
“Lemme know if you need help with anything else while you’re getting settled in,” she offered. “And I’ll see you here Monday, say…8 o’clock?”  
  
“Sounds great,” he agreed. “I’ll see you then!”  
  
The diner was just another block up, so Jared decided to walk. Even though it was cooler than he was used to for January, he had a new coat, and the snow on trees branches was so pretty. He kind of wished that he could see those famous fall colors he’d heard so much about, but they’d be here for him next autumn. He was feeling pretty good about the decision to move; the place was gorgeous and he had already found a job, even if his new boss did remind him of his ex.  
  
The diner was a great little place, complete with black and white checkered tiles and red vinyl booths. There was even a little jukebox in the corner, Elvis crooning from the speakers. The couple who ran it, Jim and Sam, were very nice. When they heard Jared was new to town, they packed two extra slices of pie into his to-go boxes, free of charge.  
  
“Be sure to check out Danni’s coffee shop!” Sam advised as he headed out. “Best damn cup of Joe you’ll ever taste.”  
  
By the time he got back to the car, just across the street from the coffee shop, he was sufficiently curious, not to mention  _cold_. He just wasn’t used to this kind of weather. Besides, everyone seemed to have great things to say about the place, and if Jared hoped to finish unpacking tonight, he was gonna need a pick-me-up. Chad could wait, Jared decided. He stuffed his keys back into his pocket and crossed the street.  
  
When he opened the door, instead of the chime he expected, what sounded like the chorus of “Hello, Goodbye” played on a xylophone. It was definitely different than any coffee shop Jared had ever set foot in. Instead of chairs, there were colored cushions clustered around low tables with various knick-knacks as centerpieces. The walls were painted a deep purple and adorned with all sorts of photographs: a black and white shot of an elderly couple sitting on a park bench, a close-up of a bright yellow flower, one that looked like it had been taken by someone lying underneath a Christmas tree. The music, at least, was familiar; classic rock played low over the sound system.  
  
Jared stepped up to the counter and glanced up at the menu. The barista had his back to the counter, rinsing out some glasses, so Jared took his time looking over his options. He didn’t even realize the barista had turned around until a rich honeyed voice was asking him: “You plannin’ on ordering something?”  
  
Jared dropped his gaze to meet the guy’s eyes and, as cliché as it sounded, his breath caught in his throat. The barista was easily the most gorgeous person Jared had ever seen, with ridiculously green eyes and eyelashes almost too thick to be believed. He had a chiseled jaw that looked like it belonged on a model and full, perfect lips.  
  
“Wow.” Jared said, and the barista raised an eyebrow.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You’re just really beautiful, oh my God,” Jared blurted out. His face flushed when he realized that he’d spoken out loud.  
  
The barista didn’t look particularly amused, his forehead creasing. “So…did you come here for coffee or just to shout your internal monologue at complete strangers?”  
  
“I—I came for the coffee,” Jared stammered. “I didn’t expect--” Oh, God, he was making it worse.  
  
“Yeah, because who expects to see a barista behind the counter of a coffee shop?” the guy shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
“What’s your name?”  
  
The barista’s eyebrows crept even higher. “Do you have Tourette's?”  
  
Jared was pretty sure he was being insulted, but he felt his lips twitch into a smile nonetheless. “No.”  
  
“Uh huh,” the barista didn’t look like he was buying it. “Did you want coffee or what?”  
  
Jared opened his mouth to reply (and probably to stick his foot in it again), but a beautiful woman appeared out of nowhere before he could say a word. She punched the barista in the arm, but she was grinning. “You aren’t harassing the customers, are you, Jensen?”  
  
The barista—Jensen—looked relieved. “Danni! Perfect timing! I’m supposed to be going on break…and I know how much you like helping first-time customers. I’ll just let you take over here.” Before either of them could protest, he slipped from between Danni and the register and vanished into the back room. Jared watched him go, inexplicably disappointed.  
  
“Sorry about him,” Danni said, turning back to Jared with a smile. “He’s a little prickly.”  
  
“Not at all,” Jared said a little dazedly. He kind of felt like he was dreaming or had been hit upside the head, or something equally dramatic. Usually, he was so good with people and socializing; this had never happened to him before.  
  
When Jared came back down to Earth, Danni was watching him with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry, Jensen’s just shy. He’ll warm up to you if you come around enough.”  
  
“Oh!” Jared started to protest. “I didn’t--I wasn’t--I mean…I heard you made really good coffee.”  
  
Danni laughed. “I wasn’t accusing you of anything,” she reassured him. “So are you new to the area?”  
  
“Just got into town last night. I’m Jared,” he added. “My roommate sent me out on a food run and I just got distracted.”  
  
“Well, you’ll have to try our Kick Start Latte!” Danni exclaimed, already fiddling with the espresso machine. “Four shots of espresso—perfect for anyone who has lots of unpacking to do.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Jared agreed. “How much do I owe you?”  
  
“Oh, no charge,” Danni said, waving her hand dismissively. “Got to get you good and addicted…then I’ll start charging you money!” She sat two massive cups of coffee in front of him. “Give it a try?”  
  
Jared obediently picked up one of the cups and took a sip. It was full-bodied and rich, just the right temperature, with just a hint of sweetness.  
  
“This is really good,” he admitted, surprised even after all the raving he’d heard. “Really, really good.”  
  
Danni’s grin broadened. “Glad to hear it. Take that other cup and be sure to get your roommate addicted too!”  
  
“I will,” Jared agreed. “And I’ll definitely be back.”  
  
“I don’t doubt it,” Danni said with a smirk, eyes flicking in the direction of the door Jensen had left through. Jared felt his face heat again and ducked his head, letting his bangs fall into his eyes.  
  
“I, uh, thanks for the coffee,” he mumbled, scooping up the cups and beating a hasty retreat to the door. Danni just waved cheerily and went back to wiping down the counters.  
  
The brisk air did nothing to clear Jared’s mind as he wandered back to his car in a daze. That Jensen guy—he’d been attractive, Lord yes, but Jared inexplicably found him endearing and fascinating too, despite the fact that their three-minute conversation easily topping the list of the most awkward Jared had ever experienced.  
  
He was still preoccupied when he got home, so much so that he barely noticed Chad barreling down the stairs with all the grace of an elephant.  
  
“Where the fuck have you been, Padalecki? I’m starving here, man, what took you so—” Chad stopped dead, studying Jared’s expression with a bizarre intensity. “Oh, man, you have  _got_  to be kidding me!”  
  
“What?” Jared asked defensively, ducking behind his bangs again. He felt strangely vulnerable under Chad’s gaze. “Dude. What?”  
  
“You met someone!” Chad accused. “You and Sandy broke up, like, two weeks ago, how can you possibly have fallen in love again already?”  
  
“I—I’m not in love, Chad!” Jared sputtered, indignant. “There was just…there was a really attractive guy at the counter at the coffee shop, but I’m not—”  
  
“Oh my God,” Chad groaned. “You’re in big gay love with a barista, could you  _be_  any more cliché?”  
  
Jared just rolled his eyes. There was no talking to Chad when he got like this. Yeah, Jensen was gorgeous and Jared was weirdly charmed by him, but love-at-first-sight wasn’t even a real thing.  
  
Was it?  
  
“Oh my God,” Chad said again, yanking the coffee and to-go box out of Jared’s hands. “If my food is cold, that’s on you, Elton John.”

 


	2. Part Two

 

Overall, Jensen was pretty satisfied with his life. He had a nice apartment, great (if a little insane) friends, and a job that nicely facilitated his coffee addiction. Even if he was perpetually single (as his dear sister continued to point out), he was happy for the most part. Everyone was occasionally lonely, he figured, but his last dating experience had only made him miserable, so it was better to be single, really.  
  
Unfortunately, one Danneel Harris didn’t agree with that assessment, and when Danni had an opinion, she didn’t hesitate to express it.  
  
“Jennnnnnnsennnnnnnn, just one teeny, tiny date?”  
  
“I said no, Danni, and I meant it.” Jensen said staunchly, avoiding her gaze to focus on brewing some espresso.  
  
“But he’s super great and he’s a  _painter_ …” she pressed. “How do you know you won’t like him unless you try?”  
  
“I’m sure Richard is a perfectly decent guy, but I don’t do blind dates.”  
  
Danni pouted prettily. “You don’t do  _any_  dates.”  
  
Jensen was spared having to respond by Misha’s appearance.  
  
“Are you harassing Jensen again?” he asked, shrugging off his coat and tossing it under the counter.  
  
“I prefer to see it as being concerned about his well-being.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I prefer to see it as you being a busybody,” Misha retorted, hip-checking her. He gave Jensen a conspiratorial wink.  
  
Danneel put her hands on her hips and scowled at Misha while Jensen bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Misha, seriously, I’m just trying to be helpful.”  
  
“It’s okay, Danni, he’s just teasing,” Jensen said, intervening before she started to get genuinely upset. “I appreciate the sentiment…but I’m not going on a blind date.”  
  
Danni sighed. “All those good looks and that charming personality and you wanna be single.”  
  
“You’re just jealous he doesn’t swing  _your_  way,” Misha teased and she swatted him with a dishtowel.  
  
Jensen poked her in the ribs and she shrieked with laugher. “If it’s any consolation, if I was even a little straight, I’d totally be in love with you.”  
  
She snapped the dishtowel at him and he danced out of reaching, laughing. “Hate you, Ackles.”  
  
“Impossible. I’m a joy to be around.”  
  
Danneel shook her head, but she was smiling. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you two pains-in-the-ass.”  
  
“You loooooooove us,” Misha sing-songed, “Your life would be cold and friendless withouuuuuuut us.”  
  
Jensen leaned back against the counter and watched his friends bantering, a smile playing at his lips.  
  
Yeah, he had a pretty good life.  
  
***  
  
When Jensen first moved to Caribou, he’d been in a really bad place. That was the only explanation for why he did what he did; no sane person abandoned beautiful Richardson, Texas for the cold, sparse Northeast. And yet, that’s exactly what Jensen had done.  
  
He hadn’t had anything when he left except his car and a duffle bag full of clothes. Barely eighteen and scared out of his mind, torn up by grief, he’d driven and driven until he’d stumbled into Caribou, pretty much on luck.  
  
Jensen had slept in his car for three days before he found a landlord who was willing to take the crumpled bills he offered for an apartment deposit. He’d slept on the living room floor, shivering in a sleeping bag, for another week while he looked for work.  
  
Salvation had come in the form of Danneel Harris, a beautiful and talented photographer who’d just opened up a coffee shop on Main Street. Jensen had seen the Help Wanted sign in the window and hovered in the doorway for a few minutes, deliberating, before he finally went inside.  
  
Danneel had her back to the door, a paint roller in her hands. She was bopping around to music Jensen could hear blasting from her headphones, even from across the room. Barefoot, with her jeans rolled mid-way up her thighs, she looked like the quintessential idealistic artist, and Jensen was immediately charmed.  
  
“Excuse me?” he said, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Danneel yelped, swinging around wielding the paint roller like a weapon. Jensen barely avoided being brained by the roller, but there was no dodging the purple paint that spattered his face and neck.  
  
“Oh my God!” Danneel exclaimed, wrenching out one of her ear buds. “You scared the shit out of me; I’m so sorry!”  
  
Jensen scrubbed his knuckles across his face and they came away smeared purple. “It’s okay, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you. Besides, my mother’s always insisting I look great in purple.“  
  
Danneel stared at him for another minute, her face the perfect picture of shock, and then she burst out laughing.  
  
“I attacked you with a paint roller and—and you just—” she dissolved into giggles again and Jensen couldn’t help joining in. He felt lighter than he had in weeks, laughing with this perfect stranger, covered in paint.  
  
“Oh,” Danneel sighed, wiping tears from her eyes, “I needed that.” Jensen nodded in agreement and she graced him with another sunny smile. “So what can I do for you, now that I’ve attacked you and ruined your clothes?”  
  
“I saw your sign,” Jensen replied, jerking his thumb back in the direction of the door. “Was hoping you were maybe still looking for help.”  
  
Danneel nodded. “Do you have any experience as a barista?”  
  
Jensen’s heart sank. “Well—no, but I learn fast and I really like coffee, which is probably not that important, but y’know. I just moved to town and I don’t have any money and I really need a job, so I was just hoping—”  
  
“Dude,” Danneel cut through his babbling. “Breathe. You don’t need experience, I was just wondering. God knows I don’t have any experience opening my own store! And I do kinda owe you after that display.”  
  
“Is…is that a yes?” Jensen said hopefully. Danneel laughed.  
  
“That’s a yes,” she answered. “But you have to do one thing for me first.”  
  
“Anything.”  
  
“Tell me your name?” she asked, and Jensen felt his face heat up.  
  
“Oh my God, I’m such an idiot,” he exclaimed, offering her his hand., “My name’s Jensen Ackles.”  
  
“Cool name,” she said. Her handshake was firm and confident and Jensen liked her all the more for it. “I’m Danneel Harris, but all my friends call me Danni. You can call me Danni.”  
  
Jensen smiled again. He’d smiled more in the last ten minutes than in the whole month before, “Well Danni,” he said, “I think this is beginning of a beautiful friendship.”  
  
***  
  
Two weeks after Jensen started working at the coffee shop, he woke up at five o’clock in the morning to the sound of furious pounding at his front door. Never even remotely what you’d call a morning person, he groaned and rolled out of bed, staggering towards the front door and the incessant banging.  
  
“What?” he snarled, flinging open the door. He was in no mood for this nonsense; it was his day off—  
  
Chris was standing in the doorway, and he looked  _pissed_.  
  
“Hey, asshole, how’s life? Good? Mine’s been great ever since my best friend left the damn state without a single word.”  
  
Jensen blinked slowly a couple of times, the fog clearing from his mind in slow stages. He opened the door a little wider and stepped to the side. “You want some coffee?”  
  
“Damn right I want some coffee!”  
  
Twenty minutes later, they were settled on the sofa, facing one another, each clutching mugs of coffee and staring at each other warily.  
  
“So you want to explain why you left without calling me?” Chris said after a while, when it became clear that Jensen wasn’t going to offer up any explanations on his own. “I went crazy, man, I thought something had happened to you!”  
  
Jensen shrugged uncomfortably. “I had to get away, things were so bad…”  
  
“Well, yeah, Jenny, I know,” Chris said patiently. “But why the hell didn’t you call me before just vanishing off to God-knows-where?”  
  
There was a loose thread on the end of Jensen’s bathrobe and he was finding it endlessly fascinating. “I dunno,” he hedged, tugging at the thread and avoiding Chris’ eyes. “I didn’t know if you were gonna want to talk to me.”  
  
For a long moment, Chris didn’t say anything. When Jensen finally risked a glance at him, his friend was scowling like he’d just swallowed something particularly disgusting. “Goddamnit, Jensen! You’re my best friend! You actually think I care about that shit?”  
  
Jensen felt a wave of relief course through him. Chris didn’t hate him, he still was his friend. The weight that Jensen hadn’t even realized he’d been carrying was gone and he thought he could probably cry, but he just swallowed thickly. “Thanks, man,” he said roughly. “I’m sorry I left without telling you.”  
  
“Apology accepted,” Chris said breezily. “You can make it up to me by helping me unpack later.”  
  
“I—what?”  
  
Chris rolled his eyes. “You didn’t think I was going to let you run off and live all on your own up here in Bumfuck, Nowhere, did you?”  
  
“Chris you don’t have to…what about school?” Jensen protested. “Didn’t you get accepted at A &M?”  
  
“Yeah, whatever, I don’t think college life is for me, anyway,” his friend answered with a wave of his hand. “Besides, I went off to visit campus for one weekend and came back to hear you’d moved to  _Maine_. What kind of decisions would you be making if I was thirty hours away on a regular basis?”  
  
Jensen tossed a throw pillow at him. “It’s not that bad!” he protested. “Maybe a little cold, but it’s peaceful here. No one to bother you,” he added, a little more quietly.  
  
Chris smiled sadly, understanding. “But there’s no one to be here for you either, Jense.” He shook his head. “So I’m staying, whether you like it or not. I’ll sleep on your couch until I can find a place of my own—“  
  
“Actually,” Jensen cut in, “if you’re so determined to stay, you might as well get on the lease with me. This apartment has two bedrooms—it was all they had left when I got here.”  
  
“Well, damn, son!” Chris crowed, slapping him on the back. “Sounds like it was meant to be!”  
  
Jensen smiled into his mug. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but having Chris there meant the world to him.  
  
***  
  
Things had started to look up from then on out; Mack had called, the coffee shop was a huge hit, and Jensen started to think that maybe his life wasn’t over. Maybe he could get through the disaster of the last month and come out the other side a stronger person.  
  
Jensen was still reserved, and he was not about to lie and say he wasn’t still hurting, but things were getting better. He had friends here, and a job. He was going to be just fine.  
  
***  
  
“You realize it’s going to be our five year anniversary in March?” Jensen said one morning when he was helping Danni open the coffee shop for the day. “Not yours and mine, obviously. The shop’s. We’ve been here for five years.”  
  
Danni laughed. “I started to say, if we were dating, I think I would know about it.” Her brow furrowed. “Are you sure it’s been five years?”  
  
Jensen nodded. “Yeah, we opened on St. Patrick’s Day, remember? For good luck, you said. That was five years ago.”  
  
“Oh my God!” she yelped, hands flying to her face. “We have to  _do_  something! Like, some kind of celebration or something!” She reached under the counter and whipped out a notepad and started searching distractedly for a pen. “How did I not realize…and we only have like a month and a half, that’s hardly enough time to plan something!”  
  
Jensen watched her pace for a few minutes, amused. After a while, he took pity on her and caught her by the elbow, pulling her over to lean on the counter next to him. “Hey, whoa, it’ll be okay,” he assured her. “We’re not the only ones who work here, you know. Hilarie’s great at this kind of stuff…and you know Misha will have some sort of interesting ideas to put in.”  
  
Danneel nodded reluctantly. “I’m sure everyone will have great ideas and be willing to help, but do you really think we can pull this off in a month?”  
  
“Absolutely,” Jensen said. “Danni, you’re the hardest worker I know, and you motivate all your employees to work hard, too. You think I would get up this early every morning for just anyone?”  
  
Danni smiled and kissed his cheek. “Aw, Jensen, you say the sweetest things.”  
  
“It’s because I’m a really good person,” he replied, mock seriously. “Now didn’t you close last night? Why don’t you get outta here for a while? Misha’ll be in at eleven, I can hold down the fort by myself until then.”  
  
“You sure?” she asked, “I can stay, it’s no big deal.”  
  
Jensen shook his head. “I know you  _can_  stay, but you really should get some rest. Go take a nap, then get up and do some brainstorming and come back this afternoon. We’ll be fine here.”  
  
Danneel hesitated for a few more minutes, rinsing espresso glasses and reminding Jensen that the one French press had a leak, before she finally gave up and took off her apron. “I’ll be back around lunch time, though,” she promised, dropping it on the hook. “And I’ll have a whole list of ideas for this fifth anniversary thing!”  
  
Jensen shook his head, smiling. “Looking forward to it, boss.”  
  
Danni shot him a scowl and disappeared out the door, leaving Jensen alone in the coffee shop.  
  
Jensen knew that Danni, and especially Misha, didn’t understand but Jensen loved to have time to himself, without any noise or distractions. This early in the morning there weren’t even customers, so he settled in on the back counter with his notebook, keeping an eye on the front door just in case. Not like anyone in this town would find it unusual to see one of their baristas perched on the counter top, but Jensen was maybe more self-conscious than the others.  
  
He’d been working on a bit of dialogue last night, woken from a bizarre dream at two in the morning, and he was hoping that the inspiration was still there. God only knew he hadn’t been feeling very inspired lately. Jensen wasn’t sure why, but he felt kind of like he was stuck in a rut.  
  
He loved his job, and his friends, and even his apartment with Chris. But he hadn’t written anything of substance in  _months_ , and it was starting to depress him. Jensen recognized that he was young, that he still had plenty of time if he wanted to publish, and that he needed to stop worrying, but when he looked down at the notebook, at the dialogue he had been so excited about last night, all he could feel was disappointment. The words were flat, the characters mundane and their problems inconsequential. How was he supposed to capture the imaginations of thousands of people if he couldn’t even keep himself interested?  
  
“Whatever,” he muttered to himself, tossing the notebook to the side. He’d try again later, no point in going into it with a bad attitude, or he’d never get anything done. He went to set the espresso machine to brew, thinking he’d probably feel better after a little more caffeine.  
  
The rest of the morning passed in a slow sort of haze. Jensen only had a couple customers to serve, mostly regulars who grabbed their coffee to-go, so the shop remained blessedly quiet until Misha showed up at ten.  
  
“Hola Mishamigo!” he said cheerily bursting in through the back door. He looked ridiculously happy, and Jensen knew it wasn’t for any particular reason; that was just the kind of guy Misha was. “What number is that?” he asked, nodding at the mug in Jensen’s hands.  
  
“Only four!” he said defensively. “I can quit any time I want.”  
  
“Absolutely. And I once trained an elephant to play piccolo,” Misha replied solemnly.  
  
Jensen hesitated. “…did you?”  
  
Misha laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Not yet. Maybe next Tuesday.”  
  
“You’re such a weirdo, Mish.”  
  
“You have no idea.”  
  
Misha had moved to town about a year after Jensen had and he’d charmed his way into Danni’s heart by asking for a job, and then proceeding to climb over the counter to prove how well he could brew coffee. He’s been a permanent fixture in the coffee shop ever since. He was completely insane, but wildly kindhearted as well, and Jensen had no problem claiming him as one of his closest friends. Chris had been a little unsure about him in the beginning, which was probably more Jensen’s fault than Misha’s, but even the grumpy guitarist had eventually warmed up to him.  
  
“So I made the mistake of mentioning that our fifth anniversary is in March and now Danneel’s freaking out,” Jensen said conversationally.  
  
“Oh, I bet that was a fun conversation,” Misha said, tinkering with the espresso machine, making one of his weird concoctions. “Does she want to do a party?”  
  
Jensen shrugged, leaning back against the counter. “Dunno, but she wants to do something. I was hoping you might have some ideas.”  
  
“If you get me a pony and five pounds of margarine and we’re in business,” Misha said, deadpan. Jensen flicked him with a dishtowel and he yelped, dancing away. “Okay, fine, no pony.”  
  
“We could set up a block party,” Jensen mused out loud. “Kitchy Coffee could host and we could invite other businesses on Main Street to participate. You know Sam and Jim would be in.”  
  
“Probably that new girl, Genevieve, too,” Misha added.  
  
“Who?” Jensen asked, confused.  
  
Misha rolled his eyes. “Are you even aware of the world around you?” he said, but his voice was fond. “She’s the girl who bought the storefront across the street. Renovating it into a bookstore. ‘Bout yeh tall, long dark hair. She’s very sweet.”  
  
“Aww, Mish, d’you have a crush?” Jensen teased.  
  
Misha ducked his head and laughed a little disparagingly. “Hardly. She’s just a nice girl. I bet she’d love to get some publicity, if Danni likes your block party idea.”  
  
“Cool,” Jensen said, grinning. He was suddenly feeling really enthusiastic about this idea. Maybe it would pull him out of this weird funk, or inspire him or something. It could be fun.  
  
When he pulled himself from his musing, Misha was watching him with a small smile on his face. “It’s a good idea, Jensen. I bet she’ll love it.”  
  
Jensen bumped their shoulders together companionably and went to serve the customer who had just appeared at the counter.  
  
Maybe things were looking up.  
  
***  
  
A couple hours later, Jensen was wondering if he needed to reassess that conclusion.  
  
Misha had vanished into the back room to do inventory, leaving Jensen alone at the counter, and despite the briskness of the weather, business seemed content to remain slow. There was no one in the coffee shop, so he figured it would be a good time to get caught up on the dishes.  
  
Less than fifteen minutes after he’d gotten started, elbows deep in hot, sudsy water, the chime above the door played, heralding the arrival of a customer. Jensen hummed along with The Beatles, taking time to finish rinsing the glass he was currently on before grabbing a dish towel and drying his hands.  
  
The first thing Jensen noticed about the guy standing at the counter was that he was HUGE. Jensen was by no means a short man, but this guy towered over him by a good couple inches. Jensen didn’t think he’d ever seen him before around town, and definitely not in the coffee shop. He would’ve remembered this guy.  
  
The guy didn’t seem to realize that Jensen was waiting for his order, staring at the menu overhead with some confusion. Probably just drank black coffee straight from the percolator most of the time.  
  
So Jensen was a little bit of a coffee snob; he was a barista, it was allowed.  
  
“You plannin’ on ordering something?” he asked, after it became apparent the guy wasn’t going to notice him, and the guy looked away from the menu and made eye contact.  
  
Holy shit, but he was attractive. High cheekbones and an aquiline nose, Jensen was pretty sure that this guy was a model. He knew he wasn’t terrible-looking himself, but looking at this guy with the soft hazel eyes kind of made him feel less, somehow.  
  
Of course, the guy immediately ruined it by opening his mouth. Wasn’t that always the way.  
  
“Wow.”  
  
“What?” Jensen asked, raising an eyebrow. The kid—and he  _was_  a kid, Jensen could see it now, a few years younger than he was—looked completely thunderstruck, like he’d never seen a barista before.  
  
“You’re just really beautiful, oh my God.”  
  
Jensen blinked, kind of stunned. Sure, he’d heard some weird come-ons in his time, but never anything quite so blatant. It was really frustrating, having people who were only interested in him because of his looks, and having someone verbalize it so openly sent a bolt of annoyance through him.  
  
“So…did you come here for coffee, or just to shout your internal monologue at complete strangers?” he drawled, wanting to just get this guy through the line and gone.  
  
“I—I came for the coffee,” the customer stammered, and Jensen heard a familiar drawl sneak into his voice. “I didn’t expect—” Wow, what a line. Was this dude serious?  
  
“Yeah, because who expects to see a barista behind the counter of a coffee shop?” Jensen shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm. He was starting to get good and riled now, Texas dripping from his vowels like it hadn’t in years. The guy’s eyes widened in recognition and if that didn’t just irritate Jensen further.  
  
“What’s your name?”  
  
“Do you have Tourette's?” Jensen said, just being straight-up rude at this point, but the guy couldn’t take a hint, his mouth twisting into a sloppy grin.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Uh huh.” Like Jensen believed that. “Did you want coffee or what?”  
  
Danni appeared before the guy could reply, punching Jensen in the arm with a grin. “You aren’t harassing the customers, are you, Jensen?”  
  
Oh thank God, salvation. “Danni! Perfect timing! I’m supposed to be going on break…and I know how much you like helping first-time customers. I’ll just let you take over here.” Before she could protest, he slipped from between her and the counter and booked it out the back door, barely remembering to grab his leather jacket on his way out. Hopefully Danneel would have better luck with Gigantor.  
  
Misha was standing on the back porch, hands in his pockets, staring placidly out at the sky. Jensen came to stand next to him, agitated, and dug a pack of Marlboros out of his jacket pocket and lit one up, taking a deep calming drag off the cigarette.  
  
“Somebody winding you up, Jackles?” the other barista asked, giving him a probing look.  
  
Jensen barked out a laugh. “Some guy I’ve never seen before started waxing poetic about my face, wouldn’t just give me his damn order.”  
  
“Well you do have a nice face,” Misha pointed out diplomatically. Jensen glared at him and he held up his hands defensively. “I’m just sayin’.”  
  
“Yeah, well, you don’t just say that to complete strangers!” Jensen argued. “It’s weird and I don’t like it.”  
  
Misha smiled. “Yeah, you are a little more reserved then most, aren’t you Ackles.” When Jensen harrumphed at that, he just chuckled a little. “Don’t worry, we like you that way.”  
  
“It just made me feel really uncomfortable,” Jensen confessed and Misha turned his big blue eyes on him.  
  
“Don’t worry,” he said reassuringly. “He was probably just passing through—I bet you’ll never have to see him again.”  
  
Jensen sagged against the porch railing, expelling a deep sigh. “I hope you’re right, man. I hope you’re right.”


	3. Part Three

“Get the fuck up, Padalecki!” Chad shouted, bouncing on the edge of Jared’s mattress their second morning in Caribou.  
  
Jared had slept much better in his own bed than he had on the couch cushions on the floor, but that didn’t mean he felt like being woken at eight o’clock in the morning like this. “Godddddd, Chad, what do you want?” he moaned, opening one eye just a crack to glare at his friend.  
  
Chad didn’t seem fazed. He wrenched the pillow from Jared’s grip and hit him in the face with it. “C’mon, dude, I’m starving! We don’t have any food, let’s go to the grocery store.”  
  
Jared sat up, nearly knocking Chad off the bed. “We can’t go to the store while we’re hungry, we’ll just end up buying stuff we don’t need.”  
  
“Okay,  _fine_ , then let’s go get breakfast and then the grocery store,” Chad whined. “I’m fuckin’ hungry.”  
  
Jared beamed. “Great, I know the perfect place! I’ll be ready in five!” He was out of bed so swiftly, this time he did knock Chad off the bed.  
  
“Oh no, no, no!” Chad exclaimed, scrambling back to his feet. “We are not going to the coffee shop so you can fuel your stupid crush, Padalecki.”  
  
Jared wasn’t listening, already digging through his closet for a sweater, hopping around on one foot as he struggled into his jeans. “Do you think I look better in blue or red?” He asked Chad, combing his fingers frantically through his hair.  
  
“Jesus Christ, I live with a giant girl,” Chad moaned, throwing himself down on Jared’s bed in dismay. After a few moments, voice muffled by the comforter, “You definitely should go with the red.”  
  
***  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Chad was parking his truck at the curb opposite the coffee shop while Jared worried over his face in the visor mirror.  
  
“He thought I was a total freak yesterday,” he confided in Chad, suddenly a little nervous.  
  
“You are a total freak, dude, don’t worry,” Chad answered, as always, the opposite of reassuring. Jared elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
“Shut up, jerk, I’m awesome.”  
  
“But you’re afraid of some pretty boy barista?” his roommate pointed out. “I dunno, that sounds pretty freakish and not-awesome to me.”  
  
“Whatever, I’m going to be totally normal this time and he’ll find me super charming, you’ll see,” Jared countered, opening his door and climbing out of the truck.  
  
“Uh huh, if you say so.”  
  
They crossed the street together and went through the door, Chad raising his eyebrows at the sound of the door chime. “Huh, this place isn’t as lame as I thought it would be.”  
  
Jensen was behind the counter, and he looked up at the sound, eyebrows coming together sharply. “Oh, you again.”  
  
Chad snorted, covering it with a loud cough, but Jared ignored him, approaching the counter, heart thumping.  
  
“Hi Jensen,” he managed. “This is my roommate, Chad.”  
  
Jensen’s green eyes swept over Chad, unimpressed. “Uh huh. Can I take your order?”  
  
“Oh my God, I didn’t even tell you my name, did I?” Jared realized suddenly, feeling very stupid.  
  
“Well, I didn’t tell you mine either, but you seem perfectly comfortable using it,” the barista quipped.  
  
Jared almost apologized, but he had a sense that backing down would just be what Jensen wanted. “Would you rather I call you ‘That Cranky Barista?’” he asked.  
  
For a split-second Jensen looked surprised, but then he scowled. “I’d rather you just give me your order.”  
  
“Somebody’s bitchy,” Chad said in an undertone. “Seriously, dude, what do you see in this guy? I mean, sure, he’s hot, but—” He cut off abruptly when Jared stomped his foot, glaring.  
  
“ _Anyway_ ,” Jared said, turning back to Jensen. “My name is Jared and we just moved to town.”  
  
“Fascinating,” Jensen drawled. His voice sounded uninterested, but he was still looking at Jared, so he was going to count that as a win.  
  
“We’re from Texas,” Jared added. “I thought—are you maybe from Texas too?”  
  
Jensen’s face shuttered immediately and Jared almost flinched. If he’d thought the barista’s expression before had been closed off, he’d been wrong. It was downright hostile now. “Are you going to order anything?” Jensen snapped.  
  
“Um, yeah, sorry,” Jared quickly backtracked. “Can we just have two more of those things that Danni gave us yesterday? And a couple of those blueberry muffins in the case.”  
  
Jensen was quiet as he rang up their order and, after Jared paid him and he went to fix the drinks, Chad dragged him away from the counter, frowning.  
  
“Dude, you know I’m pretty chill about things, usually,” he said in a strangely serious voice. “And I don’t get into other people’s business if I can help it. But dude,” he lowered his voice even further, gaze darting over Jared’s shoulder to the counter. “Maybe you shouldn’t mess with this guy. He seems kind of harsh and I don’t want you to get hurt again.”  
  
Jared shook his head. “So he’s a little prickly. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. Maybe he’s just shy.”  
  
“Or maybe he’s damaged and angry and will rip your heart out and stomp on it if you let him.”  
  
“No, he won’t,” Jared said, not even sure why he was defending this complete stranger against his best friend. “I can tell, he’s a good guy. And I’m not gonna get hurt. I just want to befriend him.”  
  
Chad snorted. “Yeah, befriend him right into your bed, I’ll bet,” he said, but he seemed a little mollified. “It’s your call, Jay, and you know I’ll be here for you if things go south and you need somebody to kick the pretty boy’s ass.”  
  
“You know, you’re kind of a pretty boy too, Chad, I don’t know why you keep saying that.”  
  
“Blow me, Padalecki,” Chad said, flipping him the bird, just as Jensen called out their order. He stayed where he was, shaking his head as Jared made his way back to the counter.  
  
“Have a good day,” Jensen said, voice quietly apologetic as Jared picked their drinks and muffins up off the counter. He glanced up, but Jensen was already turning away.  
  
“You too, Jensen,” he said earnestly, not sticking around to see if his words had any impact.  
  
Jared hated to admit Chad was right, but if Jensen did turn out to be an asshole, Jared was in trouble. He was already in way too deep with the barista.  
  
***  
  
Jared and Chad spent the rest of the day settling in and getting acquainted with the town. Jared showed his roommate the new bookstore where he was going to be working, and Chad put in applications at the diner and the grocery store and a couple of other random places they passed along the way. They got so many groceries it took four trips, even between the two of them, to get them all into the house.  
  
Jared was in the middle of unloading the plastic bags into the pantry when his phone buzzed in his pocket. “Hello?”  
  
“Hi baby, how’s the moving goin’?”  
  
“Hey, Momma!” Jared exclaimed, sliding a box of pasta onto the shelf and stepping back. “How’re you doin’?”  
  
“Missin’ you already, Jared,” Sherri said, voice a little misty. “I hope you and Chad are eating some real food up there and not just depending on carry-out.”  
  
Jared laughed. “We just got back from the grocery store, Momma,” he told her. “I’m unloading into the pantry right now.”  
  
“Well that’s alright,” Sherri said, sounding pleased. “You got your furniture set up how you like it yet?”  
  
“Mostly, but we aren’t quite done in the living room. We still have to put together the entertainment system for the television.”  
  
“You be sure and read those instructions, now, Jared Tristan,” she laughed. “I remember when you and Chad tried to put together that bookcase for me last summer!”  
  
Jared laughed, remembering as well. It had been a disaster; listing precariously to the side and unable to hold much more than five pounds of weight. “I will, Momma, I promise. By the way, did I tell you? I already got a job!”  
  
“That’s wonderful, baby! Where are you gonna be workin’?”  
  
“There’s this girl, Genevieve, and she’s opening a bookshop on Monday down on Main Street,” he said excitedly. “She said she could use someone to help get things up and running.”  
  
“Hmm,” Sherri said. “That sounds like a pretty good situation, sweetie. What’s this Genevieve like?”  
  
Jared chuckled. “Oh, no, Momma, she’s just a friend—or I guess, a boss. I’ve only met her once anyway.”  
  
Sherri clucked her tongue. “So nobody caught your eye just yet?”  
  
“Uh, I don’t guess so…” Jared said, trying to sidestep the question. His mother wasn’t fooled.  
  
“Jared!” she gasped. “Are you already crushing on somebody new?”  
  
He shrugged, even though she couldn’t see him. “Not really. A little. It’s not that huge of a deal.”  
  
“Baby, I’m not judging you,” Sherri said kindly. “Maybe that’s what the Good Lord sent you up there for; even if it isn’t, if that’s what helps you, I’ll support you one-hundred percent.”  
  
Jared clutched the phone, a smile breaking out on his face. “Thanks, Momma, you’re the best.”  
  
Sherri chuckled. “I don’t know about that, sweet pea, but I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.” She paused for a moment, and then, as though she couldn’t contain herself, “So, are you gonna tell me about your new sweetheart, or am I to remain in the dark?”  
  
“He’s not my sweetheart,” Jared protested. “He’s just—he’s the barista at the coffee shop here in town. There’s…there’s just something about him. I just want to get to know him better.”  
  
“Well, if I know my son, he’s probably worth getting to know,” his mother said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I have to go—Meggie’s coming home tomorrow and I have to get the guest room set up for her boyfriend.”  
  
“Meggie’s bringing a boy home?” Jared asked, distracted. “And she waited until I left?”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll pass along your threats if he hurts her,” Sherri reassured him. “Keep me updated, Jared, and good luck with your new job on Monday!”  
  
“Love you, Momma.” Jared said quietly.  
  
“I love you too.”  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Jared woke up before Chad and turned his alarm off quickly, before it could disturb his roommate. He took a quick shower and actually took the time to comb his hair, putting on his best jeans and a nice button-down shirt before grabbing his coat and heading out.  
  
He ended up dithering outside the coffee shop for a good twenty minutes after he got downtown, suddenly afraid to face Jensen again. The barista had been so uncommunicative the day before, and so upset when Jared mentioned Texas. If he hadn’t sounded sorry about it right before they left, Jared thought he might’ve been more inclined to back off.  
  
Eventually, though, the lure of caffeine, and of seeing his crush again, was too strong, so Jared took a deep breath and headed inside.  
  
“Are you going to come in here every day?” Jensen asked as he approached the counter, voice slightly resigned.  
  
“Y’all have really good coffee,” said Jared a little defensively. He was determined to be normal today, so he wrenched his eyes away from Jensen’s face and looked up at the menu. “Those lattes named after The Beatles, which one is your fav—”  
  
“I’m sorry I was an ass to you yesterday,” Jensen said abruptly and Jared’s eyes snapped back to his face. The barista looked deeply uncomfortable, a light blush staining his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. It was a really nice look on him. “It’s just…I haven’t been home in a really long time and I don’t really like to talk about it.”  
  
“Why haven’t you been home?” Jared asked before he could stop himself. Jensen shot him a sour look.  
  
“Didn’t I just say I don’t like to talk about it?” he griped. “Besides, I don’t even know you, why would I tell you anything about my life?” He turned away, fiddling with the coffee machine.  
  
“I’d like to get to know you,” Jared admitted, fascinated by the lines of Jensen’s shoulders when he registered the words and went tense.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Go out on a date with me,” Jared said impulsively. “Just one time, and if you still hate me afterwards, then I promise to leave you alone.”  
  
Jensen laughed, hands fluttering nervously over the knobs of the espresso machine. “I don’t  _hate_  you,” he said. “You’re just annoying as hell. And incredibly nosy.”  
  
“So is that a yes?”  
  
Jensen turned to face him again, slipping a coffee sleeve onto the cup in his hand. “No,” he answered, setting the cup in front of Jared. “I don’t date customers. That’ll be two-fifty.”  
  
“What is it?” Jared asked, mechanically digging a couple crumpled dollar bills out of his pocket to pay.  
  
“Lennon,” Jensen said coolly. “You asked which was my favorite Beatle-inspired drink was, there you go.”  
  
Somehow that mollified Jared, and even though he’d just gotten turned down for a date, he left the coffee shop feeling lighter, like maybe he actually had a chance.  
  
***  
  
Chad didn’t seem to be in agreement. “His favorite Beatle is  _Lennon_?” he sneered. “Pretentious douchebag much?”  
  
“He didn’t say Lennon was his favorite Beatle,” Jared pointed out patiently. “He said that the Lennon-inspired latte was his favorite. But you’re missing the point.”  
  
“Probably because I’m under-caffeinated,” Chad said pointedly.  
  
Jared heaved a deep sigh. “I’m sorry I didn’t take you with me to get coffee this morning, but you weren’t really helping my case yesterday. And I didn’t even really get to order this morning, or I would’ve brought one back for you, too,” he said. “Jensen just distracted me.”  
  
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Chad muttered.  
  
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re just looking for reasons to dislike him?” Jared asked mildly. “I just told you that he apologized for yesterday, and I didn’t even saying anything about it, he just brought it up on his own.”  
  
Chad shrugged. “Yeah, but the fact that he got so bent out of shape over such an innocent question in the first place isn’t a good sign. I just don’t want you to get all fucked up over this guy, Jay. You just broke it off with Sandy a just a few weeks ago, and you guys were dating for a long time.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m aware,” Jared said, his voice a little strained. “I was there.”  
  
“I’m just saying…maybe take it slow?”  
  
Jared stared at his friend’s earnest expression for a moment, still kind of surprised that Chad was being serious about anything. “You never take it slow,” he mumbled.  
  
“That’s because I’m a sexually depraved jackass,” Chad said, nodding solemnly. “But you’re a fuckin’ flower child with all your  _feelings_  and shit.”  
  
Jared tried to keep a straight face, but his lip started twitching and Chad took his opportunity.  
  
“Oh, I’m Jared, and I just love everyone!” he squeaked. “Sunshine and flowers and puppies—look at me, doesn’t my big dimpled face just make you want to swooooooon?” He completed the act by dramatically fainting on to the couch, and Jared lost it, cracking up as he collapsed next to his friend.  
  
***  
  
Chad had an interview at the grocery store the next morning, so Jared convinced him to drop him off on Main Street on his way, employing the puppy dog eyes to the best of his ability.  
  
Jared made a beeline for the coffee shop, ignoring whatever rude thing Chad was shouting at him through the open window as he drove away. He let himself into the store and was immediately disappointed not to see Jensen behind the counter.  
  
It made sense, when he thought about it; everybody gets days off, or works different shifts sometimes. That didn’t keep him from feeling a little let-down, and apparently it showed on his face because the barista at the counter shook his head and smiled warmly.  
  
“You look like you could use a pick-me-up,” he said. “What can I get for you?”  
  
Jared shrugged. “Jensen gave me one of those Lennon lattes yesterday, that was pretty good.”  
  
“Jensen?” said the barista, sharp blue eyes widening in realization. “Oh my God, you’re Jared.”  
  
“Did Jensen tell you about me?” Jared couldn’t help asking and the barista smirked.  
  
“Oh, no, Danni did,” he answered. “She said you were quite taken with my friend.”  
  
Jared felt his face heating, but he didn’t back down from the guy’s challenging gaze. “Who are you anyway?”  
  
“Misha Collins,” the barista answered, easily enough. “Jensen’s my best friend.”  
  
“Oh,” Jared stammered, a little cowed. “He’s—he seems like a really cool guy.”  
  
“You’re not just hitting on him because he’s really attractive, are you?” Misha asked bluntly. “I don’t really feel like beating around the bush, because Jensen is really shy, and he’s never really had things easy, so I don’t intend to let you mess with him just because you like what he looks like.”  
  
It would be so easy to be offended by this complete stranger’s assumptions, but he clearly was just trying to protect his friend. Jared could respect that; Chad had done the same thing just two days previously.  
  
“I mean, yeah, he’s very good-looking,” Jared conceded. “But he seems like a genuinely good person. I just want to get to know him, and maybe make up for the bad first impression I gave him.”  
  
Misha eyed him critically for a long moment, some kind of emotion warring behind his blue eyes. Then he nodded and gave Jared a sunny smile. “Fair enough,” he said agreeably. “But if you upset him, I will gladly kill you. And I watch a lot of crime documentaries, so they would never find your body.”  
  
“Shake on it,” Jared insisted, extending his hand. Misha looked kind of surprised, but he took the other man’s hand in a firm grip nonetheless. As soon as Jared released his hand, he bounced away, yodeling to himself as he prepared the latte. He was kind of a weird guy, but Jared decided that he kind of liked him, anyway.  
  
A few minutes later, Misha came back with his drink in hand. Jared started to reach for it, but the barista made a ‘tsk’ing sound and pulled it back, holding up one finger to stop him.  
  
“One more question for you, before you go,” he said in a deadly serious voice. Jared swallowed nervously, afraid that Misha was going to change his mind and possibly murder him right there in the coffee shop.  
  
“If you were a muffin, what kind of muffin would you be?”  
  
Yep, Jared thought that he and Misha could make pretty good friends.


	4. Part Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a brief flashback in this chapter featuring Jensen/Misha. It's pretty obvious where the scene starts, and it ends at the page break immediately after, if you want to skip it.

 

Jensen had a new routine and he wasn’t sure he liked it. Sure, he’d always been a pretty routine person by nature, but the reasons he liked routine were because of the comfort of it, the ability to get moments of peace and quiet away from other people.  
  
The introduction of Jared to his routine was the opposite of that.  
  
His mornings started out the same as they always had; Jensen was not a morning person by a long shot, so it took about three cups of coffee and a hot shower to get him moving in the morning. Once he was coherent enough, he checked the news on his laptop and answered his few emails before heading in to open the coffee shop.  
  
Even though he wasn’t at his best in the mornings, Jensen loved to open the coffee shop. He always popped in a CD he enjoyed and listened to it, beginning to end as he flushed the espresso machine and made sure that everything was ready to go. It was usually a good forty-five minutes of quiet, but for the music playing low, sunlight starting to peek in through the wide window at the front of the store. Depending on the time of year, it might still be dark when he got in, and he’d get to watch the stars wink out, one by one.  
  
The shop opened at seven on the dot, but usually nobody came in right away. There were a few regulars who popped in for their to-go cups and, once in a blue moon, a new student or artist who’d found their way to town would wander in and sit in the corner with a laptop or book. Mostly though, things were quiet and simple, and Jensen had time to stare at his notebook, even if he never got anything written.  
  
Then, around eight o’clock, Jared rolled in. He always ordered the same thing: Lennon latte and a blueberry bran muffin. Sometimes he asked for a second coffee, which Jensen assumed was for that grumpy blond roommate of his.  
  
And then, of course, the sparkling conversation.  
  
“Hey, Jensen, d’you like Pearl Jam?”  
  
“Did you know that Popeye was based off an actual person?”  
  
“What’s your favorite color?”  
  
“Have you ever been to Disney World?”  
  
Jensen tried to be cordial, he really did, but it wasn’t always easy. He didn’t like strangers and he didn’t like personal questions, and those both seemed to be in Jared’s list of top ten favorite things. Why the kid even thought they would be a good match was beyond Jensen, but he couldn’t exactly tell him to go away, paying customer that he was.  
  
Despite Jensen’s reticence, Jared never got impatient with him. He just smiled, huge, dimples popping out and eyes sparkling. As if fate wasn’t cruel enough, the object of Jensen’s frustration was pretty easy on the eyes. Not that Jensen thought that counted for much, when the personality attached to that Adonis of a body was an over exuberant clown, but it would be a lie to say he hadn’t noticed.  
  
Danni had noticed too, on the occasions that she had been there when Jared came in.  
  
“Damn,” she told him after Jared left one morning, “I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn, I would climb him like a tree.”  
  
“Danni!”  
  
“Oh, don’t get your pants in a twist, I’m not gonna steal your man!” she said with a casual wave of the hand.  
  
“I—he’s not, we aren’t—” Jensen sputtered, but she wouldn’t hear of it.  
  
Sometimes it was hard having someone like Danneel Harris as one of your best friends.  
  
***  
  
After the first time Jared asked him out (and had that ever taken Jensen by surprise; it took all of his ability to keep from letting his mouth fall open right then and there), it had become a regular thing. He was never pushy about it—to the contrary, he was almost shy, or as shy as it seemed Jared Padalecki could be about anything.  
  
It always followed the five or so minutes of one-sided small talk. There would be a brief pause, Jared’s eyes twitching nervously away and Jensen shored himself up.  
  
“Would you like to go out sometime?”  
  
“I don’t date customers.”  
  
And maybe Jared had been a fuckin’ saint in a past life or something, because he always smiled and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Have a good day, Jensen.” And then he was out the door with his coffee and his muffin and his stupid dimples.  
  
It was beginning to become a problem.  
  
***  
  
“Why are you dragging that poor boy along?” Danni asked abruptly one evening during their weekly board game night. Jared hadn’t been in since early that morning, and he’d left with another ‘no’ under his belt, so it took Jensen a minute to figure out what she was talking about. While he was distracted, Misha bumped his marble back to home, exchanging a high-five with his partner, Hilarie, across the table.  
  
“I’m not leading him on!” he protested. “He’s known from day one that I’m not interested! It’s his own fault that he can’t take no for an answer.”  
  
Hilarie shot him a doubtful look. “You’re not interested. Not even a little bit. Not even on just a physical level?” It was worse to realize that Hilarie had noticed because she only worked a few hours a week, splitting her time at the veterinary clinic outside of town. If she’d noticed the weird Jared Padalecki thing, it was probably getting out of hand.  
  
“Are you suggesting I just sleep with him because he’s hot?” Jensen said, disbelieving. “Now  _that_  would be leading him on.”  
  
“So you do think he’s hot, then?” she countered, eyebrows raised. Jensen felt a blush spring to his face.  
  
“I never said he wasn’t. But I’m just…I’m not interested, guys. I can’t do it.”  
  
Danni shook her head. “Oh you definitely could. You’re just scared. Sooner or later, you’re gonna have to figure out that you can’t spend your whole life protecting yourself from people, or you’re never gonna develop any significant relationships.”  
  
“I have you three,” Jensen pointed out.  
  
“Not what she’s talking about and you know it,” Misha finally piped up. “Don’t be obtuse.” He bumped another one of Jensen’s marbles off the board and Jensen sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward, but he didn’t deign to answer.  
  
Danneel shook her head and picked up the dice. “Well, whatever, it’s up to you, anyway. We just worry about you.”  
  
***  
  
Jensen had once had an ill-fated one night stand with Misha. He hadn’t been in a good place. Misha had only been in town for a few months and Danni had invited him and Jensen out for a one-year anniversary pub-crawl the next town over on St. Patrick’s Day.  
  
He shouldn’t’ve gone in the first place. Mackenzie had called earlier that day and told him to avoid Facebook. Of course, no one ever gets that message soon enough, and he had spent an hour listening to her consoling words before finally hanging up. When Misha and Danni pulled up to pick him up a few hours later, he was still feeling pretty shitty, but drinking sounded like a pretty appealing option, so he donned a tight green tee shirt and hopped into Danni’s Mini Cooper.  
  
Two hours later, he was as wasted as he could ever remember being. Everyone around him was too loud and cheerful, throwing green beads everywhere and kissing strangers on suspect claims to Irish heritage. Jensen was sitting at the table, staring morosely at his beer, running a finger around the rim of the glass. He didn’t know why he was here; he hated social activities anyway and drinking wasn’t making him forget—if anything, he was dwelling even more on his past.  
  
“Hey, man, you okay?” Misha asked, coming back to the table with a couple shots of SoCo. Jensen took one and threw it back before his friend was even seated.  
  
“I wanna go home.”  
  
Misha frowned. “‘M thinkin’ you probably need someone to go with you. Cos you’re drunk.”  
  
“So’re you,” Jensen shot back. “Mish—don’t, don’t leave on account ‘a me. You like the bar scene and shit.”  
  
“I like you and shit,” Misha answered calmly. “And I don’t want you to get hit by a car or somethin’. C’mon, we’ll get a cab.”  
  
And that was how they ended up sharing a cab home, having let Danni know and making sure she was okay to stay behind without them. She was having a great time, dancing with some guy she knew from her Pilates class, and Jensen didn’t feel too badly about leaving.  
  
It could’ve all ended there, but then Jensen invited Misha back into his apartment. “Jus’ stay here, man, save the cab fare.” Misha agreed and it all seemed harmless enough, until they got inside.  
  
“What’samatter, Jense?” he asked. “You seem kinda down, anythin’ I can do to fix it?”  
  
In response, Jensen shoved him up against the front door and kissed him. Misha made a noise of surprise, but he must’ve been pretty drunk too, because he went with it, opening up so Jensen could lick his way into his mouth, hands clamping down on his waist.  
  
“I—I want, I want,” Jensen panted incoherently, shoving his hips against Misha’s. The other man stifled a groan, his head falling back against the door with a thunk. Jensen took the opportunity latch onto his neck, biting and sucking at every inch of skin he could reach.  
  
“Jesus, Jen—”  
  
“Don’t call me that,” Jensen growled. “Just…don’t.” He rolled his hips forward again and whatever Misha had been about to say was lost to nonsense babbling as he bucked up against Jensen.  
  
They barely made it to Jensen’s bedroom, stumbling along because Jensen refused to let go of Misha’s belt loops, and because of the drink. When they finally got there, Jensen slammed the door with a clap and shoved Misha back onto the bed, crawling up over him on his hands and knees.  
  
“Jensen, are you sure you want—?” Misha tried, but Jensen kissed him again, smothering the words. He set to work on the buttons of Misha’s shirt, and after a minute of hesitation, Misha started to help him. As soon as Misha’s shirt was off, Jensen sat back on his haunches and peeled off his own tee shirt, grinning a little sloppily at the pole axed expression on his friend’s face. He settled back into the vee of Misha’s legs, kicking off his shoes and socks, and shucking his jeans.  
  
He kissed Misha once more, firmly before moving down to lave his tongue over his nipples, smirking at the gasps that he elicited in response. Misha’s hands clenched and unclenched on his shoulders and Jensen dipped lower, licking across his abs and hips. He glanced up at Misha, who was watching him, eyes dark and shocked, as Jensen bit at the denim waistband of his jeans.  
  
“Jesus Christ,” Misha muttered, throwing his head back against the pillow when Jensen leaned forward a few more inches and unbuttoned the jeans with his teeth. “Jesus  _Christ_.”  
  
Jensen grinned and got with the program, shoving his jeans down off his hips, followed by his boxers. He didn’t even give Misha a chance to recover before he was swallowing him down as deep as he could take him. Misha gave a little cry and buried his hands in Jensen’s hair, all spiky and damp. Jensen hummed a little and sucked, hollowing out his cheeks. Misha moaned, his thighs trembling under Jensen’s hands and Jensen pulled back and looked up at him.  
  
“I—I wanna fuck you,” Jensen said, too drunk and full of lust to be embarrassed by his own bluntness. Misha’s eyes widened even farther, his mouth falling open on a startled pant.  
  
“Oh, god, yeah, yes,” he babbled. Jensen grinned and sank back down to lick at his cock.  
  
“Lube in the bedside table,” he said before wrapping his lips around Misha again. He’d scarcely gotten back to work when a bottle was thrust into his hands. “Eager, hm?”  
  
“Oh, god, just get on with it,” Misha groaned, hands tightening in his hair. Jensen obliged him, continuing to suck him off as he prepped him, taking care to keep him right on the edge the whole time, but never getting him to where he wanted to be. Misha cursed and tried to buck, but Jensen held him down with one arm across his waist. He scissored his fingers expertly and Misha jerked, a broken sound escaping his mouth.  
  
“C’mon, Jensen, please,” he begged and Jensen pulled away, stripping off his own boxers and rolling on a condom. He didn’t hesitate, sinking all the way in, not stopping until he bottomed out. Misha didn’t seem opposed, though, not even needing a minute to adjust, wrapping his legs around Jensen’s waist and rolling his hips.  
  
There was nothing tender or gentle about it, Jensen fucking the other man like he would die if he didn’t. Misha gave it as good as he got, meeting every thrust head-on, hooking an arm around Jensen’s neck and kissing him, hard.  
  
Neither one of them lasted long. Misha came first, without a hand on him, and Jensen followed immediately after, toes curling as he pressed in as far as he could go, and collapsed against Misha’s chest, spent. “Fuck.”  
  
Misha snorted. “Yes, that is what happened.” He hesitated, clearly wishing he didn’t have to ask the next question. “Are—we’re cool, right?”  
  
Jensen was still pretty drunk and fucked-out, but the question drained away his afterglow with alarming speed. He pulled free and rolled right off the side of the bed, collapsing in a heap on the floor.  
  
“Oh. Oh my god, Misha.”  
  
Misha sat up, looking concerned. “Are you freaking out?”  
  
Jensen tried to answer, but suddenly his stomach lurched and he scrambled to his feet, barely making it into the adjoining bathroom in time to empty his stomach in the toilet bowl.  
  
He was revisiting his corned beef and cabbage and green jello shots when Misha came into the bathroom, back in his boxers and undershirt, and bearing a glass of water and aspirin. Another wave of nausea hit him and he moaned, dropping his head to rest on the ceramic while Misha rubbed soothing circles on his back.  
  
The rest of it was kind of a blur. He thought he remembered Misha putting a cold compress on the back of his neck, and then forcing him to brush his teeth and put on boxers before shoving him back into bed, but he might have dreamed that. The next thing Jensen remembered properly was waking up alone in his bed, sunlight streaming through the window, and what felt like splintering glass in his brain.  
  
Jensen kind of assumed that Misha had bolted after his freak out the night before, but he’d underestimated his friend’s loyalty, or his talent for sidestepping awkwardness, because when he staggered into the kitchen, it was to Misha cooking him an omelet at the stove. He grinned up at Jensen like he wasn’t wearing crumpled clothes and hickeys all up and down his neck.  
  
“Feelin’ pretty shitty, huh?” He said, offering him the plate. “I know eating sounds like a bad idea, but trust me, it’ll help.”  
  
Jensen nodded, kind of afraid to meet his friend’s eyes. “Sorry for all that. I’m a pretty terrible host, I guess.”  
  
“No worries,” Misha said lightly. “I’ve sat up with puking people many times before last night.”  
  
“And the rest of it?” Jensen said quietly. “I—I’m sorry, I shoulda never. That was a huge mistake.” He glanced up out of the corner of his eye at Misha, who’d gone suspiciously still. “I—I don’t want this to fuck up our friendship…can we just move on?”  
  
Misha’s unreadable expression cracked open and he smiled serenely, turning back to the stove. “Consider it bygones,” he agreed.  
  
***  
  
Jensen hadn’t had any kind of sexual component to his life since that night with Misha, much less a romantic one. It had been  _years_ , and he was starting to wonder, against his better judgment, whether Danni was maybe right. Maybe he should try dating again, but he could guarantee one thing for sure: it wouldn’t be with Jared Padalecki.  
  
Then Monday rolled around. Jared had been in town for a whole week, and Jensen had seen him every day. He had come in every morning around the same time, and a couple days he even showed up later in the afternoon. But eight o’clock came and went without any sign of the huge puppy of a man.  
  
Jensen figured that he was probably just busy. It didn’t matter anyway, what Jensen was feeling wasn’t disappointment; it was ambivalence at best. He’d just gotten used to seeing the kid every day, that was all, and not having him there threw off the routine, even if it did so in a quiet manner.  
  
He’d probably come in later, anyway, grab the lemon hibiscus tea he’d gotten both times he’d shown up in the afternoon, and then he’d smile and say something stupid, ask Jensen personal questions and then try and get him to agree to a date again. It reassured Jensen, even if he didn’t want to admit it, and he went back to his business.  
  
An hour until his shift ended and Jared still hadn’t come in. Misha had, though, and was sneaking looks at Jensen every few minutes, like something was wrong with him. There was nothing wrong with Jensen. Sure, he’d been a little distracted today; maybe he’d mixed up a couple of drinks, but everyone had off days. If definitely had nothing to do with Jared.  
  
After the fourth time that he almost gave himself whiplash at the sound of the door opening, Jensen had to concede that he was wondering where Jared was. Not because he  _cared_  too terribly much, though, just because he had gotten used to him. Jared was throwing off his routine; it was all horribly inconvenient.  
  
“Jensen?” Misha said in a tone of voice that kind of suggested it wasn’t the first time he’d said it. “Do you wanna just go ahead and go? You’ve only got like twenty minutes left, and you are out of it, dude.”  
  
Jensen nodded tiredly. “Yeah, I’m a little distracted, sorry.”  
  
“Anything to do with that Jared kid?” Misha asked shrewdly.  
  
“No,” Jensen said, too fast. “I’m just tired.”  
  
“Okay,” Misha conceded. “If you say so.” He shook his head. “Just so you know, he works at Genevieve’s bookstore. In case you were going by there already or something.”  
  
Jensen hesitated. “I don’t care that he didn’t come in,” he protested. Misha just shrugged.  
  
“I didn’t say you did,” he answered diplomatically. “I just said that the new bookstore was really nice. Have you even been in there yet?” He gave Jensen a serene smile, handing him a to-go cup of coffee.  
  
“No, and I don’t need to,” Jensen said staunchly, taking a swill of the coffee. “Have a good night, Misha.”  
  
“You too, Jense.”  
  
Jensen went out the front door, wrapping his jacket tight around himself, intending to head straight to his car and go home. There was some chicken salad in the fridge that he could have for lunch, and then he could spend the afternoon trying to write some more. But before he even realized what he was doing, Jensen found himself crossing the street and climbing the steps to the bookstore’s front door.  
  
A little brass bell jangled cheerfully overhead when he pushed the door open and he took a moment to look around. The ceilings were high and the room was well-lit, white bookcases gleaming against each wall. Everything was done up stylishly in warm shades and hardwood, and Jensen immediately felt at home.  
  
Of course, that only lasted about half a second.  
  
“Jensen! What are you doing here?” Jared demanded, popping up at his elbow. He looked like he was torn between being delighted and suspicious.  
  
“I, uh, I just need to pick up a book,” Jensen lied.  
  
“Oh yeah?” Jared asked, eyes sparkling, “What book are you looking for?”  
  
“Um…” Jensen floundered for a minute, caught out by the obvious question. “ _The Poisonwood Bible_.” He blinked. Where had that come from?  
  
Jared’d grin broadened. “You didn’t come to buy a book, you came to see me! You missed me!”  
  
“Don’t flatter yourself, Padalecki, I just need this book, where can I find it?” he scowled and Jared put up his hands, still grinning.  
  
“Okay, okay, it’s right this way.” He led Jensen over to a bookcase and pulled out a hardcover book and handed it to the barista. “There you go. If that’s all you’re here for, I can just check you out.”  
  
“That’s all I’m here for,” Jensen insisted and Jared shrugged, turning to go to the counter, Jensen trailing behind. “I came here for this book,” he repeated as Jared was ringing him up. “But, out of curiosity, why didn’t you come in this morning?”  
  
Jared grinned at him again. “Overslept. My little sister called last night and we were on the phone until pretty late.”  
  
“You have a little sister?” Jensen asked before he could stop himself. Jared raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Is that a personal question?”  
  
Jensen swallowed. “Uh, no.”  
  
“Oh, okay,” Jared said agreeably. He handed Jensen his book and his change, watching him intensely. “Hey, um, Jensen?”  
  
“Hmm?” Jensen said distractedly, trying to get his money back into his wallet with suddenly shaky hands.  
  
“D’you…you wanna go out sometime? Like maybe this weekend?” He was staring down at the register, fingers drumming nervously on the side. He looked resigned, like he already knew what Jensen’s answer would be.  
  
Nobody was more surprised than Jensen at what he said next.  
  
“Sure, why not?”  
  
Jared’s head snapped up. “Um…what?”  
  
Jensen shrugged, but his eyes were wide. “Yeah, okay? I’m saying yes. I guess.”  
  
“Seriously?”  
  
“Yes, seriously,” Jensen snapped. “Stop it, or I might change my mind.”  
  
Jared nodded so quickly that Jensen almost started laughing at how eager he was. “Okay, okay…so…Saturday?”  
  
“Seven o’clock okay with you?” Jensen asked, feeling strangely emboldened. “You can pick me up at my apartment.” He took one of the business cards off the counter and flipped it over, writing down his address and phone number.  
  
“Oh…okay,” Jared said, still staring at him in disbelief. Jensen indulged him with a small smile and a wave, and headed out the door, feeling stupidly light.  
  
Oh, he was in so much trouble.


	5. Part Five

 

Jared was maybe freaking out, just the tiniest bit.  
  
“I don’t get it, Jay, I thought you wanted to go out with the guy?” Chad said, watching him pace from where he was sprawled out on the couch.  
  
“I do,” Jared insisted, “but I never thought he would say yes, I’m totally unprepared. Oh my God, I’m gonna take him on a shitty date and it’s my one shot and he’s gonna be mad because he wasted his time on me and he will never want to talk to me again!”  
  
Okay, so Jared was definitely freaking out. A lot.  
  
“C’mon, man, dating’s not that hard,” Chad replied. “You just take ‘em to a fancy restaurant, try not to say anything stupid, and then go home for sex!”  
  
“That is not how dating works,” Jared said, stopping his pacing long enough to glare at his roommate. “At least not for us non-nymphomaniacs.”  
  
Chad put a hand over his heart. “You wound me. But also, you just proved my point; you know how to date.”  
  
“Well, I mean I know how to date, I guess, yeah,” Jared agreed begrudgingly. “But do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve been on a first date? Me and Sandy were together for a long time.” He sighed, flinging himself down on the couch next to Chad. “I just don’t want to mess this up.”  
  
“Dude, just…don’t stress over it, alright?” Chad said, actually sounding serious for once in his life. “Keep it simple, and just be yourself. You’re a pretty cool dude, Padalecki. If he doesn’t like you, it’s his loss.”  
  
Jared grinned. “You think I’m a cool dude?” he asked in a high-pitched voice, batting his eyelashes. “Oooh, you sure know how to make a boy swoon, Chad Michael Murray.”  
  
“Fuck you, too,” Chad retorted, but he was grinning. Jared felt a little better. Sometimes, Chad made a pretty good best friend.  
  
***  
  
The week leading up to Jared and Jensen’s date passed with alarming speed, as time often does when you’re nervous about something. Working at the bookstore was great fun, but the hours were long, since there were only two of them to staff the place, and they were still getting on their feet. Jared still made sure to get up early enough every morning to stop by the coffee shop for a drink.  
  
He didn’t mention the date to Jensen, not wanting to push his luck, but the barista’s behavior seemed to have toned down a bit. He was still grumpy and a little non-communicative, but sometimes he gave Jared more than just a single-word answer to any of his various questions, and he always smiled and waved him off when he left.  
  
Friday morning, when Jared came in to the coffee shop, Jensen looked up immediately and waved at him. “Mornin’.”  
  
“How’re you?” Jared asked, encouraged by the warmer-than-usual reception.  
  
Jensen shrugged. “Same old, same old. Gonna try something new today?”  
  
“Nah, I think I’ll just stick to the classics,” Jared answered, grinning. “Chad thinks Paul is the best Beatle, and I used to think it was Ringo, but you may have changed my mind.”  
  
Jensen smirked. “Chad, the pretty-boy blond?” he asked, a little cautious like he always was when he prompted conversation himself. “He’s your roommate, right?”  
  
“Yeah, and my best friend, I guess,” Jared leaned a little closer, whispering conspiratorially. “Don’t tell anybody; I’ve known him so long, I have no other choice.”  
  
Jensen twisted the silver ring he wore on his right hand a little anxiously. “Yeah…he came in here yesterday. Kind of a strange guy.”  
  
“I—what?” Jared asked, kind of thrown. “He came in here? Why?”  
  
“He’s…worried about you.”  
  
It took a second for the train of thought to click in his head, but when it did, Jared wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or touched by Chad’s apparent concern. “What did he say to you?”  
  
“Just…” Jensen shrugged, visibly uncomfortable. “He said you were a really great guy and that you tend to go into everything you do with boundless enthusiasm. I think he meant well, he just doesn’t want you to get hurt.”  
  
Jared shook his head. “I’m not gonna, it’s gonna be fine.”  
  
“You don’t know that,” Jensen said quietly. “I’m kind of hard to deal with.”  
  
“I’ve done alright so far,” Jared joked, and then ducked his head to look into Jensen’s eyes. “Besides, I don’t think that’s true. I think you’re just protective of yourself. Nothin’ wrong with that. But I know you have a lot more depth than that grumpy exterior.”  
  
Jensen looked up at him, a kind of stunned expression on his face. It wasn’t the first time Jared had seen that look. He’d always had the ability to peel back people’s defenses and he always thought the best of everyone automatically. He’d been told it was a little overwhelming. But he felt like he had a good read on the situation, so Jared just smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and picked up his drink off the counter.  
  
“Don’t worry, Jensen, we’re gonna be awesome, I can feel it.” He started to back away from the counter. “Have a good day.”  
  
***  
  
Saturday morning, Jared popped into the coffee shop a little later than usual. He’d debated not coming at all, some tiny corner of his brain afraid that Jensen might renege and then he’d look like an idiot. Eventually he’d decided that not showing up might make Jensen think he was rethinking the whole thing, so he had to go. Besides, he needed his coffee fix.  
  
When he stepped into the coffee shop, though, it wasn’t Jensen behind the counter. It was Misha. He tried to keep the surprise off his face, but it didn’t quite work, if the smirk on the barista’s was anything to go by.  
  
“I take it I’m not exactly who you expected,” he said as Jared approached the counter.  
  
“Jensen usually works the opening shift,” Jared agreed.  
  
“I asked him to trade shifts with me for today,” Misha confessed. “I wanted to talk to you.”  
  
“Oh,” Jared said nervously. “Um. What about?” Misha gave him a look like he was being intentionally thickheaded. “I guess this is probably about Jensen?”  
  
“Excellent use of your deductive reasoning skills, Jared,” he answered with a half-smile. “Thing is, I know I kind of already told you that you better not hurt Jensen, but I just really need to impress on you how serious I am. Because I’m not usually a very serious person.”  
  
Jared nodded. “I understand, and I’m not going to hurt him. I really like him.”  
  
“Y’know, would you guess that I’d picked up on that?” Misha teased. “But for real, Jared, Jensen has a lot of baggage and he’s been treated really awfully in the past. He doesn’t really like new people, either, so the fact that he’s even opening up to you is huge. I just don’t want him to finally try and do that only to get hurt again. He doesn’t deserve that.” There was a wistful sort of smile playing at the corner of his mouth and he wasn’t really looking at Jared anymore.  
  
“You’re in love with him,” Jared realized. Misha chuckled.  
  
“And here Jensen almost had me convinced that you were just a pretty face.”  
  
“You seem pretty zen about all this,” Jared said, confused. “Why?”  
  
“You’re a smart kid, Jared, you know that being in love with somebody doesn’t mean that they’ll be in love with you.” He shrugged. “I just want Jensen to be happy, and I think, if you’re as genuine as you seem, you maybe can make him happy. That’s all I want.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” said Jared, because it seemed like the only thing to say. Misha just laughed.  
  
“You don’t have to be sorry, I’ll live. Just…don’t hurt him, okay?”  
  
“I swear,” Jared said sincerely.  
  
“Good,” Misha said with a curt nod, handing him his coffee. “Now get your ass to the bookstore, or you’re gonna be late.”  
  
Jared glanced at his watch. “Oh shit, you’re right!” he exclaimed, hurrying back to the door. “Thanks, Misha!”  
  
“Oh, and Jared?” Misha said with a melancholy sort of grin, stopping him in his tracks. “Good luck on your date.”  
  
***  
  
His shift at the bookstore passed by in a blur and before Jared knew it, he was standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom in nothing but boxers, hair dripping wet. He was beginning to feel the onset of panic. He yanked on a pair of blue jeans and went back to staring at himself in the mirror.  
  
“Chad!” he shouted. “Chad, c’mere!”  
  
“Oh my god, Jay, you are seriously starting to cramp my style,” Chad answered, swinging through the door almost immediately. If Jared didn’t know better, he might think that Chad had been waiting to come help him.  
  
“I don’t know what to wear.”  
  
Chad quirked an eyebrow at him. “Do I look like your gay fashion guru? I date ladies, bro, I don’t know what your uppity barista boy likes.”  
  
“He’s not uppity, and it’s not that different,” Jared argued. “I just. I don’t know how fancy I should go.”  
  
“Well, where are you taking him?”  
  
“That little Italian place, what’s it called? Hilltop Italian? Something like that. Genevieve said they had the best pasta in the state.”  
  
Chad considered for a moment, circling Jared like a hawk. “Ditch the jeans, then,” he suggested, “and wear khakis or slacks. I’d vote slacks, because black looks good on everyone. And a button down, but for god’s sake, not the pink one.”  
  
Jared did as he said, switching out his nice jeans for a pair of black slacks and dress shoes. “Red button down or grey?” he asked, holding them both up for inspection.  
  
“Don’t you have a different one that’s kind of shiny and darker red?” Chad muttered, pushing his way into the closet. “This one.” He flung it at Jared’s head. “There. Put that on and roll the sleeves up to your elbows.” He stood and watched as Jared followed his instructions, then stepped forward to bat his hands away as he started to button his shirt.  
  
“Jesus, Jared, don’t button it all the way up, you’re not a priest!” he insisted, tugging the first few buttons open so that Jared’s collarbone was visible. “How would you even survive without me?”  
  
“My life would be a bleak and friendless walk without your asshatery.” Jared deadpanned, earning himself a smack upside the head.  
  
“Don’t forget it, dickweed. There. You look suitable to date. Now go pick up your boy; I bet he’s the kind to get wound up if someone isn’t on time.”  
  
***  
  
Jared showed up to Jensen’s apartment with ten minutes to spare, thanks to his GPS. He hadn’t brought flowers or anything, because he didn’t want Jensen to think he thought he was a girl, but he really wished he had something to do with his hands, other than fidget. He took a few calming breaths and knocked at the door bearing the number Jensen had scribbled on the bookstore card.  
  
Jensen opened the door almost immediately. If Jared had thought he looked good in his work pants and apron, he had been so very wrong. Jensen was wearing dark grey slacks that curved to fit his body perfectly and black cowboy boots. His v-neck sweater looked like it was made of something soft, like cashmere, and it was the precise shade of green to match his eyes.  
  
“Wow,” Jared said, stupidly, but this time, Jensen smirked instead of scowling. “You look great.”  
  
“You don’t clean up too bad yourself,” the barista conceded with a small smile. “Give me just one second to grab my phone and then we can go.” He turned and vanished back into the apartment, but left the door hanging open, so Jared tentatively stepped just inside.  
  
The apartment was sparsely decorated, but neat. There was a black sofa against the wall opposite a modest-sized television, a mirror hanging over it. Above the sofa, there was what looked like a family photo; Jared recognized Jensen, probably about six years younger, sitting between an older boy and a younger girl, with what had to be his parents standing behind them, all smiling happily.  
  
“Ready to go,” Jensen said abruptly from behind him and Jared nearly jumped out of his skin.  
  
“Sorry, you startled me,” he stammered. “That’s, ah, that’s a nice picture.”  
  
Jensen’s smile faded ever so slightly, but he nodded. “Thanks. Shall we?”  
  
Jared nodded, and led the way out to the car. He was kind of wondering if he was going to be able to draw any in-depth conversation out of Jensen at all. He was definitely willing to try.  
  
***  
  
The first five minutes of the car ride were dead silent, and Jared was starting to feel a little discouraged. He’d made a stupid comment about the weather, and then said something about the busted radio, which just made it that much more obvious that there was nothing to break the silence. He was beginning to think he was really terrible at this dating thing.  
  
“So…you didn’t say where we’re going.” Jensen said eventually, glancing over at Jared in the driver’s seat.  
  
“Oh, uh, that little Italian place on the hill,” Jared rushed to answer, thankful for the conversation starter. “Genevieve recommended it to me. You…you like Italian, right?” Suddenly, he was horrified; what if Jensen hated Italian and everything was ruined before it even got started?  
  
“Dude,” Jensen said, “Who doesn’t like Italian? Calm down, alright? You’re so damn jumpy.”  
  
“Sorry,” Jared apologized, genuinely contrite. “I just…I haven’t been on a first date in a really long time.”  
  
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I haven’t been on any dates in a long time.” Jensen said quietly. Jared was so surprised by the willing admission of personal details that he stared, forgetting to watch the road for a few seconds.  
  
“What, you?” he said disbelievingly. “I bet anybody in this town would love to go on a date with you.”  
  
Jensen shrugged uncomfortably. “Well, I haven’t found anyone that I wanted to go out with.”  
  
It was probably pushing his luck, but Jared ventured, “You’re going out with me.”  
  
“Because you’re hella persistent,” Jensen said lightly. “I wanted to see if you were really as great as you’re inflated sense of self-importance tells you that you are.”  
  
Jared opened his mouth to protest, but caught a glint in Jensen’s eye, his mouth curling into a smile. “You’re teasing me.”  
  
“Isn’t that how it goes? Witty banter, teasing, flirting? I told you, I haven’t dated in like six years, you can’t judge me if I get something wrong.”  
  
Jared shook himself slightly and focused back on the road. “You’re doing way better than me.”  
  
***  
  
They arrived at the restaurant just a few minutes later, and Jared was kind of relieved because at least now if they had nothing to talk about, they would have something to do. Namely, eat.  
  
“Do you want wine?” Jared asked as they settled down at the table. Jensen nodded. “Red or white?”  
  
“I usually go for chicken, so probably white,” Jensen answered. “Could I have a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, please?” He glanced at Jared. “Are you eating something with cream sauce or red sauce?”  
  
“Uh.” Jared blinked. “I guess probably red sauce? I’m a traditionalist.”  
  
“And a glass of Chianti for my date, please.”  
  
Jared stared at Jensen, impressed, as their waiter walked away. “Wow, how do you know all that stuff?”  
  
Jensen shrugged, looking pleased. “I just really like wine. It’s kind of an art form. You know they think wine has been around since like 3000 B.C.?”  
  
“I had no idea,” Jared admitted. “I usually just tell them to bring me a glass of whatever tastes good. I’m starting to feel like an uncultured moron, here.”  
  
Jensen startled him with a laugh. He hadn’t heard the barista really laugh before, not like he was actually surprised to find something funny. He put his whole body into it, throwing his head back, eyes crinkling at the corners. All over again, Jared realized how deep he’d gotten, without even realizing it.  
  
“Oh, don’t let me fool you, I’m a real country boy at heart,” Jensen confessed and then kind of twitched, as if he was surprised by his own admission.  
  
Jared nodded, treading carefully. “Me too. I already told you I’m from San Antone, but even a big city in Texas feels a little country, y’know?”  
  
“I’m from Richardson,” Jensen said quietly, surprising Jared again. It seemed that was going to be a theme for the evening. “I know exactly what you mean.”  
  
Jared badly wanted to talk more about their shared Texas backgrounds, but he could see the lines of tension in the other man’s shoulders, so he smoothly changed the subject. “So, what exactly do you want to do with your life?”  
  
“Wow, you start with the easy questions, don’t you?” Jensen said dryly.  
  
“I just. Don’t take this the wrong way, man, because you make an awesome cup of coffee, but surely you don’t want to be a barista for the rest of your life?”  
  
Jensen shrugged. “I was going to go to college for physical therapy, but it never panned out. I dunno, y’know, everybody has their silly dream jobs, but they aren’t exactly practical.”  
  
“That’s okay, I’m not very practical,” Jared pointed out, leaning forward. “C’mon, tell me your dream job.”  
  
Jensen hesitated, ducking his head. “I mean, I don’t…I want to write novels,” he said shyly. “It’s dumb, I know, and implausible, but—”  
  
“Can I read your stuff?” Jared interrupted, a huge grin breaking out on his face. “That’s so cool!”  
  
“You’re not just saying that to get me to like you, then?” Jensen teased, but there was genuine curiosity on his face.  
  
“I’m not going to lie, that would be a perk,” Jared conceded, “but no. I’d really like to read your stuff sometime. I think it’s so cool when people have artistic talents like that; I’m no good at anything like that.”  
  
“Well, my current novel is kind of stalled, but maybe you could read some of my short stories sometime, if you really want to.” He put his elbow on the edge of the table, resting his chin in his hand. “Okay, so now it’s your turn. What is your dream job?”  
  
Jared shrugged. “Oh, well, it’s silly. I mean, yours at least, is something that can happen. Mine requires too much organization and money, neither of which I have very much of.”  
  
“Oh, come on, you can’t just make me confess my embarrassing aspirations and then leave me hanging!” Jensen protested. “Out with it!”  
  
“I…I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but I really love animals,” Jared started. To his surprise, Jensen nodded.  
  
“You have two dogs, don’t you? Harley and Sadie?”  
  
Jared blinked. “You actually remembered my dogs’ names?” he said incredulously.  
  
“I mean, I do listen,” Jensen said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.  
  
“I wasn’t sure you did,” Jared replied. “I know I kind of talk a lot, so I’m pretty used to people tuning me out. Especially since you didn’t really want me around, anyway.”  
  
Jensen’s face flushed pink as he spoke. “I’m just. I’m not really very good with people,” he said haltingly. “And the first time we met—”  
  
“I acted like a complete tool, yeah,” Jared finished and Jensen laughed, with a slight nod.  
  
“Anyway. I’m sorry I treated you like that. It wasn’t cool.”  
  
Jared beamed at him. “You don’t have to apologize! I mean, you obviously were listening if you can remember my dogs. And hey, you’re here now, so it’s not a big deal!”  
  
“Right, the dogs,” Jensen said, trying to get the conversation back on track. “You said you really loved animals.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jared said enthusiastically. “I do, I really love animals, and I am really a strong proponent for getting your pets from a shelter, you know? Because there are so many unwanted and unloved pets at the shelter, and lots of shelters put them down if they don’t get adopted quickly enough. And then I started thinking about the foster system, and how kids get bounced around from home to home and they probably feel pretty unwanted and unloved, too. So I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if there was some sort of program that let foster kids adopt shelter pets free of charge?” He kind of grinned. “The only thing is, I don’t know where you would get the money to pay for the shelter pets and then you would have to make sure that foster families agreed to take in the pet along with the kid and I’m not sure how you would organize all that, but. Yeah. That’s my big implausible dream.”  
  
Jensen stared at him with out saying anything for long enough that Jared started to feel a little self-conscious. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he spoke again. “Your dream is to create a program to help shelter dogs and foster kids at the same time?” he said. “Jared, that is the coolest thing I have ever heard. And you’re right; it’s really ambitious, and probably expensive, but I’m starting to get the feeling you could probably pull off anything you decided you wanted to try.”  
  
Jared grinned stupidly, feeling like there was a sun expanded in his chest at Jensen’s words. “You really think so?”  
  
“I do,” Jensen answered. “And I’m starting to think I may’ve misjudged you before; you’re kind of a cool guy.”  
  
And really, Jared couldn’t possibly ask for better than that. Conversation got much easier after that, and before he knew it, they’d both finished their meals and were taking the last sips of their wine. It was easily the best date Jared had ever been on and he was reluctant for it to be over. He took his time paying the bill and then followed Jensen slowly out to the parking lot, hoping that Jensen had had as nice a time as he had, and that, if it did have to be over now, maybe at least there would be hope of another date in the near future.  
  
“I’m not ready for this date to be over yet,” Jensen said, abruptly cutting through his thoughts. He glanced at his watch and then up at the sky, before turning back to Jared. “Can I show you something?”  
  
Jared felt a little weight lift off his shoulders and he smiled at Jensen across the hood of his car. “Sure, absolutely.”  
  
“Awesome. Get in the car, it’s a little bit of a drive.”  
  
Curious, Jared got behind the wheel and started the car. Jensen got in next to him and closed the door. “Turn right out of here instead of left, okay? And just follow that road for a while.”  
  
“You gonna tell me where we’re going?” Jared ventured and Jensen smirked.  
  
“Nope, it’s a surprise.”  
  
“This isn’t the part of the date where you drag me out into the woods and brutally murder me, is it?” Jared asked. “Because I don’t have my ID on me, and I would really like them to be able to identify my body.”  
  
“Shut up and drive, Jared,” the barista said, eyes glittering. “I promise not to kill you in the woods. Just follow this road until it turns to a dirt road.”  
  
“Oh, that’s definitely the way to convince me that you aren’t a serial killer,” Jared teased. “‘Hey, why don’t you just drive out here and don’t stop until you have no cell phone service?’ That’s not creepy.”  
  
“Not at all,” Jensen agreed. He pointed out the windshield. “You see that turn-off, about a hundred yards off? Take that.”  
  
Jared did as he was instructed and after another half mile the dark trees started to thin out and they reached what looked like a clearing on the edge of a lake. The water looked like black glass, stars reflecting on the surface, and Jared parked the car and killed the lights automatically, just to get the full effect. It was completely dark, but for the light from the stars and the thin sickle of the moon.  
  
“Wow,” he breathed. “What is this place?”  
  
Jensen opened the car door and got out, so Jared followed suit. “I found it when I first moved here—I was having a really rough time of it, so I wanted a secluded place I could just be alone. I kind of stumbled upon this lake, sort of like I stumbled upon Caribou.”  
  
“And…you’re showing it to me?” Jared said quietly. Jensen turned to look at him, but it was too dark for Jared to read the expression in his eyes.  
  
“Do you have a blanket or something in your car?” he asked unexpectedly.  
  
“Um, yeah, I think in the trunk,” Jared answered, confused.  
  
“There’s another part I want to show you, but it requires waiting,” Jensen explained. “We can put the blanket on the hood of the car and sit.”  
  
“Oh, okay,” Jared agreed, going to fetch the blanket out of the trunk. He laid it on the still-cooling hood and sat down. “What are we waiting for, exactly?”  
  
Jensen slid up on the hood next to him and checked his watch, face glowing green in the light from the watch face. “Just wait. You’ll see in about…half an hour.”  
  
“That’s an awful long time,” Jared fake-whined and he saw Jensen’s mouth curve into a grin just before the watch light went off, throwing them back into darkness again.  
  
“I know it’s hard for you to sit still, but you are still allowed to talk.”  
  
Jared opened his mouth to shoot off a smart comment, but found himself saying, instead: “The sky is just as big here as in Texas. I didn’t think that was possible.”  
  
Jensen was quiet for a long moment and Jared wondered if he’d made a mistake by bringing it up again. For whatever reason, it seemed like talking about his home or family was out of the question for Jensen. But before he could apologize, Jensen finally broke the silence.  
  
“When I left Texas, I didn’t think so either. It took me a few weeks to wind up here, you know, and I stopped in several other places along the way. But the coast was weird because there was more ocean than land, and the Appalachian Mountains made me feel hemmed in. Up here there maybe aren’t as many stores or bars, but there’s a lot of sky. Felt a little like home.”  
  
“So that’s why you decided to stay here,” Jared said, and Jensen nodded. He badly wanted to ask why Jensen had left home, what was so awful, but he knew that the other man would talk if and when he was ready. “I was running away, when I came here, and it was just as far North as I could go without hitting Canada.”  
  
Jensen turned to look at him, but he didn’t say anything, so Jared took that as encouragement to continue.  
  
“There was this girl in Texas. Sandy. We’d been dating since we were in high school, and last summer, when we were in Paris on vacation, I asked her to marry me.”  
  
“You were engaged?” Jensen asked, voice laced with surprise. His eyes were wide, the reflected light of the moon making them seem even bigger than usual. “What happened?”  
  
Jared shrugged. “I have no idea. Just, one day she said she wanted to talk to me and we went out for dinner at our favorite restaurant. She didn’t even wait for the entrees to get to the table before she gave me the ring back.” He sighed, leaning back against the windshield, “I sold it and used the money to move up here.”  
  
Suddenly, Jensen was scooting back towards the windshield right next to him, knee pressed against the side of Jared’s leg. “I’m sorry that happened to you; must’ve been rough.”  
  
Jared smiled. “It happens. Now I’m here, and I really like it, so maybe it was meant to be.”  
  
“You put a lot of stock in fate, don’t you?” Jensen asked, leaning back, but not moving away from Jared. “You told me before that something was meant to be.”  
  
“I don’t know if it’s fate I believe in, necessarily,” Jared amended. “Maybe serendipity. I do think things happen for a reason, but I don’t believe you’re predestined to do anything. I think we are responsible for what happens in our lives.”  
  
“Like, you had no control over Sandy deciding to leave, but you made something good out of it by moving here.”  
  
“Yeah, I guess, if you think running away across the country was a good idea,” Jared laughed.  
  
“That’s how I got here, too,” Jensen said quietly. “I was running away.”  
  
“From what?” Jared asked before he could think better of it. Jensen sighed, turning to face him, lying at an incline on the windshield, so Jared mirrored the position.  
  
“When I was seventeen I met a boy named Michael Weatherly,” Jensen said, by way of answering. “He was a year older than me, went to the same high school. We were in drama club together and he was…he was funny and gorgeous and so sweet. I didn’t even realize that I had feelings for him until one day after drama he caught me in the costume room and kissed me.”  
  
Jared nodded, not sure where this was going, but willing to listen. “So, did you start dating?”  
  
“Yeah, but it was a big secret. I.” Jensen swallowed. “My family—and his—were really religious, very conservative. I’d known since I was thirteen that I was gay, but I also knew that it would have to be a secret. But I liked Michael too much to miss the chance, so we started sneaking around together, making out in broom closets and such. Stupid teenage stuff. Not even our classmates knew, because our school was pretty conservative, too, and we didn’t want it getting back to our families.”  
  
“Now, our families knew that we were good friends, and our parents got along and all, so we got to hang out at neighborhood gatherings and such, y’know? Even though we had to keep it a secret, I was really happy. I was in love with Michael; he was my first love. We hadn’t gone much farther than making out, though, not until after I turned eighteen. For my birthday, he got us a hotel room and convinced me to have sex with him. I was really nervous about it, but, you know, who isn’t their first time?”  
  
Jensen lapsed into silence then, chewing on the inside of his lip. Jared waited patiently, not wanting to push the other man, surprised he’d even gotten this much of the story out of him.  
  
Eventually, Jensen swallowed with a click and started back up, right where he’d left off. “That was the first time I told him I loved him, that night, and he said he loved me too. I just remember falling asleep in his arms and being completely convinced that one day everything would work out and we could be together in public and no one would judge us for it.”  
  
“The next day, my parents and some friends from school threw a surprise party for me. My whole family was there—even my grandparents, and a bunch of kids from the drama class, and Michael and his parents,” Jensen continued, his voice flat and emotionless. “Then, when everyone was all assembled for cake, Michael stood up and told them that he and I had been dating for eight months, in secret.”  
  
A tiny, startled gasp escaped Jared’s mouth without his permission. “Why would he do that?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Jensen said dully. “But he went on to say that he had seen his sin and he had broken things off with me. He said that I was still living in denial, and that I refused to see my homosexuality as a sin against God. Needless to say, that broke the party up pretty quickly.”  
  
“What happened then?” Jared couldn’t resist asking.  
  
“My dad…my dad said that he wasn’t having a homosexual for a son,” Jensen said just above a whisper. “He told me I wasn’t his son, and that I was no longer welcome in his house. My sister Mackenzie tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t hear it. My. My mom and my older brother sided with my dad.”  
  
“Oh my God, Jensen,” Jared said in a hushed voice. “I am so sorry. And you still don’t talk to them?”  
  
Jensen shook his head. “I tried, for a while. They wouldn’t take my calls. Mack keeps in touch, though, she adjusted to the idea and decided that family meant more than religion.” He coughed awkwardly, looking away.  
  
Jared couldn’t stand it; he grabbed Jensen and pulled him into a tight hug. “That was a terrible thing of him to do, and I am so, so sorry your parents reacted the way they did. I wish I could fix it for you.”  
  
Initially, Jensen was stiff in his arms, shocked, maybe, but after a few moments, he melted into Jared’s embrace, resting his forehead against Jared’s shoulder. “Sorry,” he said, muffled against Jared’s shirt. “I’m having a really nice time, I didn’t mean to be a downer.”  
  
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Jared said firmly, pulling back so he could look the other man in the eyes. “By the sounds of it, you’ve dealt with more stuff than anyone deserves to be put through; you’re allowed to be sad about it.”  
  
“It’s why I kept saying no when you asked me out,” Jensen mumbled. “I mean, at first it was because you were annoying and I thought you just liked me because of how I look.” His mouth twisted into a grim smile. “But then you kept asking and you wanted to know about my life and my interests and I was just afraid that maybe I’m too damaged to be with anybody…especially someone as kindhearted and enthusiastic about life as you are.”  
  
“Don’t talk about yourself like that, man,” Jared protested. “You’re smart, and you’re interested in such cool things and you just don’t even give a shit what people think of you…you are changed for the things you’ve been through, but it doesn’t make you damaged, it makes you strong.”  
  
Jensen turned to him, his expression stunned. “You really think that?” he asked, leaning closer.  
  
“I really, really do,” Jared said fervently. “And I—” something green flashed in the corner of his vision and Jared jumped, jerking back. “What the hell was that?”  
  
Jensen looked up and then at his watch. “Oh, it’s starting! Watch the sky.”  
  
“What? What’s starting?” Jared asked, confused and thrown a little off-balance by the abrupt change in mood.  
  
“Aurora borealis,” Jensen said, pointing skyward. Jared followed his hand and saw another flash of green, then blue and purple, all slowly swirling amidst the stars like paint on a canvas.  
  
“The Northern Lights?” Jared breathed. “I didn’t think they really looked like this—this is incredible!”  
  
“I thought, being from Texas, you probably hadn’t seen them before,” Jensen grinned, pleased with himself. “I happened to see online before you got to my apartment that they were supposed to be visible tonight.”  
  
“Wow,” Jared said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” He turned to Jensen, who was looking upward, his face bathed in changing colors of light. “Thank you.”  
  
Jensen glanced over, then back up quickly, suddenly shy. “No problem.”  
  
“Not just for bringing me out here,” Jared corrected. “I mean, this is amazing, don’t get me wrong. But thanks for saying yes. And thank you for opening to me. It means a lot.”  
  
Jensen looked over, a self-conscious smile on his face. “So you still like me, after all that?”  
  
“I think I like you even more,” Jared said boldly, leaning in close. “And I think I’d like very much to keep getting to know you, so I can like you even more than this.”  
  
Jensen may’ve been blushing, but it was hard to tell. He was definitely smiling, though. “You may change your mind before lon—mmph!” was all he got out before Jared closed the space between them and kissed him.  
  
Jensen only hesitated a split-second before he started kissing back, hands coming up to fist in the front of Jared’s shirt as Jared wrapped his hand around the back of his head and pulled him closer.  
  
Yeah, this was definitely the best date of Jared’s life


	6. Part Six

 

Jensen went into work Sunday afternoon, feeling like a million bucks. He tossed his coat on the hook and grabbed up his apron, heading straight for the espresso machine, humming to himself.  
  
“Someone’s in a good mood today,” Danneel commented with a grin. “I take it that your date went well?”  
  
“It did,” Jensen answered, trying to keep to his usual mild demeanor, but he could feel the smile on his face, and he was kind of bouncing. “I guess I have to eat my words; Jared’s not an idiot after all.”  
  
“I could’ve told you that,” Misha chimed in, appearing from the supplies closet. “He’s incredibly insightful.”  
  
“How d’you know that?” Jensen asked, intrigued. Misha raised his eyebrows.  
  
“It’s a mystery.”  
  
“Misha gave him the ‘take good care of my little girl’ talk before your date,” Danni said, rolling her eyes.  
  
“You did what?”  
  
Misha shrugged. “I just told him that if he made you sad, I would pull out his spleen and grind it up to make a new brew of coffee.”  
  
“That’s disgusting.” Danni put in.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“You’re such a weirdo, Mish, but…thanks. I guess.” Jensen smiled at him. “He was the perfect gentleman.”  
  
“So he didn’t take you back to his man-cave and ravage you silly?” Danni asked, disappointed. Misha glanced up from the stack of boxes he was unloading, his expression curious as well.  
  
“No, guys, c’mon! I didn’t sleep with him on the first date!” Jensen protested. “We went to dinner, and then I took him somewhere he could see the Northern Lights, and then he took me home. End of story.”  
  
“Did you at least get a kiss goodnight?” Danni demanded. Jensen blushed. “You did! Was there tongue?”  
  
“Girl, you need to get laid,” Misha pronounced. “Leave him alone, if he wants to tell us, he’ll tell us.”  
  
Jensen stuck his tongue out at Danneel, laughing. “Yeah, what he said.”  
  
“Fine, fine,” she grumbled. “Just tell me one thing: are you planning on seeing him again?”  
  
Jensen grinned shyly. “Yeah, I think we’re going to go out again next Friday.”  
  
Danneel squealed and threw her arms around him. “Finally! I’m so glad you found someone, you deserve it.”  
  
“Thanks, Danni. I’m glad too.”  
  
***  
  
Jared didn’t show back up to the coffee shop until Monday morning, but Jensen wasn’t worried. They’d been texting back and forth all weekend, and even though he really liked Jared, he appreciated the space so he could sort it all out in his head. He didn’t doubt that Jared had picked up on that, even though he hadn’t said anything. As Misha had pointed out, the kid was surprisingly astute.  
  
“Have a nice weekend?” Jensen asked when Jared approached the counter Monday morning, looking a little bleary.  
  
“Talked to my mom on Skype Sunday and kicked Chad’s ass at Call of Duty all night Saturday,” he answered.  
  
“I’m gonna take that as a yes, then,” Jensen said, starting Jared’s latte. “I did some writing.”  
  
“On your novel?” Jared asked, instantly interested. “I thought you were stuck.”  
  
Jensen grinned, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. “I guess I got unstuck; I wrote three whole chapters in one day.”  
  
“That’s awesome!” Jared exclaimed, and his enthusiasm was so genuine that Jensen just leaned over the counter to kiss him without a thought. Jared made a surprised noise, but happily kissed him back. When Jensen pulled away and handed him his latte, Jared’s eyes were big as saucers.  
  
“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but I never really pegged you for public displays of affection.”  
  
Jensen shrugged, feeling lighter than he could remember feeling in years. “Things change.”  
  
“Is change good?” Jared asked cautiously, and the polite bewilderment in his gaze made Jensen haul him in for another kiss. It’s not like anyone was around anyway.  
  
“Oh, yes. Change is definitely good.”  
  
***  
  
Tuesday, Danni sent Jensen over to the bookshop to talk to Genevieve. “We need to find out if she’d be on board in promoting this block party,” she explained. “Just tell her that she can put her cards on all the tables and advertise however she wants. Oh! Maybe she’ll want to do an outdoor book sale or something!”  
  
“Why can’t Misha go? He’s way better at talking to people than I am.” Jensen protested. “I couldn’t talk my way out of a paper bag!”  
  
“Misha’s already over at Jim and Sam’s place seeing if they’ll provide burgers and shit. I need you to go to the bookstore,” Danni told him patiently. “We’re short on time. Besides, I know you want to go see your boyfriend.”  
  
“He’s not my boyfriend!” Jensen protested. “We haven’t talked about that yet.”  
  
“Oh, you haven’t?” Danni said innocently. “Because a little birdy told me you were making out over my coffee counter yesterday. PDA seems pretty boyfriend-like to me.”  
  
“Who told you that?” Jensen asked, “There was no one here!”  
  
“Colin Ford saw you through the plate glass window,” Danneel answered. “Don’t worry, no one here is going to be a dick about it, and I think it’s too adorable to tell you not to make out with him when you’re on the clock, but he’s definitely your boyfriend, and you know it.”  
  
It was still on Jensen’s mind when he walked into the bookstore across the street. So much so that when Jared bounded up to greet him, the first words out of his mouth were:  
  
“Are you my boyfriend?”  
  
Jared skidded to a halt in front of him and Jensen immediately felt mortified. Why on Earth would he say something like that? They’d only been out on one date and Jared probably thought that he was like one of those crazy clingy bitches in horror movies…  
  
“I hope so,” Jared said lightly, but there was a tightness in his mouth that belied his nervousness. “D’you want to be? Boyfriends, I mean?”  
  
A small giggle escaped Jensen’s mouth. It was like being in middle school or something, the two of them standing here, discussing terminology when they both already knew how they felt about each other.  
  
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do,” Jensen said, and it was worth looking like a crazy clingy bitch to see the way Jared’s face lit up.  
  
“I do too,” he said, and then he was yanking Jensen up into a dizzying kiss.  
  
“Jared? Are you accosting a customer?” Genevieve’s voice broke through the haze in Jensen’s mind and he jumped away, cheeks stained red. She was watching them, arms crossed, with an amused look on her face, but Jared was completely unrepentant.  
  
“Gen, you know I’ve talked ‘bout him before, but I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Jensen.”  
  
And if Jensen was so delighted to hear those words that he almost forgot what he came for and nearly left without talking to Genevieve about the block party, well, no one needed to know that but him.  
  
***  
  
“Chris, he’s so great, I don’t know what I did to get this lucky,” Jensen said Wednesday night as he was washing the dishes after dinner with his roommate. Chris was sitting on the counter opposite him, watching his progress and listening to Jensen talk.  
  
“So when am I gonna get to meet him, hmm?” he asked. “I know Misha threatened to kick his ass, but it’s not official until I get to do the same.”  
  
Jensen shook his head, flicking soapsuds at him. “He’s not going to hurt me, it’s not like last time.”  
  
“Dude, obviously it’s not like last time because this time I’m actually hearing about it,” Chris pointed out. “And I’m not saying I think he will hurt you. I just think I’ll rest easier once I get to judge him for myself.”  
  
“Fair enough,” Jensen conceded. “But can you at least let us go on our second date before you go all poppa bear on him?”  
  
Chris nodded. “I wish we had a bigger place, and then we could just have a barbeque. Have him and all his friends over to meet all your friends. But I don’t think cooking on the balcony and eating inside all cramped would be too fun.”  
  
“Yeah, probably not,” Jensen agreed. “But I do like the idea of a party. We’ll think of something. But not until after our date Friday.”  
  
“Gonna get lucky this time, Ackles?” Chris teased and he flung the dishrag at him, hitting his face with a satisfying splat. It pretty much dissolved into a wrestling match from there, and Chris’ request was, for the moment, forgotten.  
  
***  
  
Jensen picked Jared up from his house for their second date. As he’d pointed out, Jared got to arrange the first date, so it was his turn. Jared opened the door so quickly after he knocked that he wondered if the other man had been waiting on the other side already when he got there.  
  
“Hi,” Jensen said with a shy smile. Jared just beamed at him and pushed him against the doorframe so he could kiss him senseless.  
  
“Hi,” he replied. “Have a good week?”  
  
“I suppose,” answered Jensen with a put-upon look. “Some asshole came in my coffee shop every morning and demanded a latte and all of my attention, so that was obnoxious.”  
  
“He sounds like a handsome and charming young man to me.”  
  
“Only in his own head,” Jensen retorted, earning a hip-check and a goofy smile.  
  
“So where are we going? Is there going to be food? Jensen, I’m a growing boy, I have to eat.”  
  
“Um, yeah. About that,” Jensen said, already feeling the blood rushing to his face. “I, uh, was trying to come up with a really awesome date and then I got all worried that we would end up doing something you don’t like or it would be too fancy or something so I kind of panicked. So…we’re going bowling.”  
  
There was barely a split-second of silence after his announcement before Jared grinned hugely and wrapped him up in a hug. “I love bowling! And, dude, you can get the best nachos at bowling alleys. Fact. C’mon, let’s go!”  
  
Jensen wasn’t sure if Jared was being so enthusiastic just for his benefit, or if he just genuinely enjoyed everything, but either way he thought, in that moment, that he very well could already be falling in love with this guy.  
  
***  
  
Bowling ended up actually being a lot of fun, despite Jensen’s mortification. Jared was, unsurprisingly, an excellent bowler, and he kicked Jensen’s ass three rounds in a row. They ate nachos and chili cheese dogs at the bar, and washed them down with beers, and it was still one of the best dates Jensen had ever been on. He was beginning to think that Jared had magical powers that could make literally anything fantastic.  
  
Chad’s car was gone when they got back to Jared’s house, so he convinced Jensen to come in for a cup of coffee. Jensen looked around while the other man tinkered with the coffee machine, familiarizing himself with the house. It wasn’t huge, but it was a nice size for two guys, and even though there wasn’t really a central decorating theme like in Jensen’s apartment, it felt a lot more homey and lived in. Jensen decided he liked it.  
  
“That’s my family!” Jared exclaimed when he came back, mugs in hand, to Jensen studying a picture on the entertainment system. “That’s my little sister Megan, and my older brother Jeff. My dad, there. He died last year, but Mom is still going strong. Meggie goes down and visits her a lot and we set up Skype so I can video chat her. I think Jeff and his wife are going to surprise her and bring the kids down for Easter.”  
  
Jensen took the proffered mug and took a sip. “This is really good. You spend like five dollars a day on coffee when you actually know how to make a decent brew at home?”  
  
Jared grinned, and if he noticed that Jensen didn’t want to discuss family, he was blessedly silent about it. “Well, see, there’s this really cute barista that works at my coffee shop…”  
  
Jensen shoved him lightly. “Yeah, yeah. Flatterer. Hey, where are your dogs? I thought you said you had dogs?”  
  
A huge grin lit up Jared’s face at that. “You really want to meet my babies?” he asked. “You’re not just saying that because you’ve picked up on the fact that I’m a crazy dog guy?”  
  
“I really want to meet ‘em,” Jensen said honestly. “I mean, I have to make sure they like me, right?”  
  
“I’ll go let them in,” Jared agreed with a grin. He went to the backdoor and slid it open, immediately cooing at the dogs. “Hi babies! Did you miss me?”  
  
Two massive dogs came barreling into the house, then, on a beeline course for Jensen. Instead of jumping on him like he expected, though, they came to a stop directly in front of him, sniffing inquisitively.  
  
“That big one is Harley, he’s a bull mastiff,” Jared explained, “And this sweet girl is Sadie. Obviously she’s part German Shepherd, but they weren’t sure about the other half. The vet said maybe dingo?”  
  
“Your dog is half dingo?” Jensen said incredulously.  
  
“I know, innit cool?”  
  
Jensen sat down his coffee and offered his hand cautiously for the dogs’ inspection. Harley seemed to be a giant puppy who loved without reservation, because he leapt forward and planted a huge slobbery kiss on Jensen’s chin. Sadie, however, eyed him suspiciously and returned to sit at Jared’s feet after a few minutes.  
  
“She’s a little shy, but she’ll warm right up to you eventually,” Jared assured him. “Come sit.” He patted the couch next to him and Jensen complied, leaning into Jared and sipping his coffee contentedly.  
  
“Sorry I took you on such a lame second date,” Jensen said. “Yours was much better.”  
  
“Are you kidding?” Jared asked. “I had a fantastic time. They were just different, is all. Besides.” He glanced up at Jensen and kind of blushed. “I think anything I was doing would be awesome as long as I was with you.”  
  
Jensen surged forward and kissed him, and felt Jared smile against his mouth. Before he could figure out that it had happened, Jared had taken control of the kiss, pinning him back against the couch cushions and just kissing him more deeply than he thought possible. When he pulled back, his eyes were dark and Jensen was breathing hard.  
  
“I—I don’t want to pressure you or anything,” Jared whispered into the tiny space between them. “But I’d really like it if you stayed the night.”  
  
“That is the best idea you’ve ever had,” Jensen said fervently, pulling him in for another kiss. Jared happily obliged, tracing over lips and teeth with his tongue for a long moment before he pulled away and hauled Jensen to his feet.  
  
“C’mon, upstairs?” he asked, full of confidence, but Jensen could see the nervousness in his eyes. He lifted Jared’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.  
  
“Lead the way.”  
  
Jared took him upstairs to the bedroom, briefly pausing to lock the door and turn off the lights before they went upstairs into Jared’s room, Jensen shutting the door behind them.  
  
Jared’s bed was huge. It had to be California King, and it was covered in white pillows and blankets and wow Jensen really wanted to be spread out over those sheets right about now.  
  
Jared must’ve been reading his mind or something, because he grabbed at Jensen’s belt loops, hauling him in for another kiss, and then shoved him down onto the bed. He dragged off his shirt and threw it somewhere in the corner, kicking off his socks and shoes, before sinking down as well, hovering over Jensen.  
  
“How d’you—how do you wanna do this?” he asked breathlessly, kissing his way down the side of Jensen’s neck and over his collarbone. “Whatever you want, Jensen.”  
  
“I want you,” Jensen said simply, too far gone for more words. He kicked his shoes and socks off, hearing them thud on the floor and sat forward as Jared pulled his shirt off over his head. “You—you top.” He managed, flushing brilliantly. Jared gave him another one of those heart-stopping grins and laid him back out on the bed.  
  
“Gladly.” He draped himself over Jensen, kissing every inch of skin he could reach. Jensen was pretty sure he was going to come undone just from the feel of their bare chests dragging against each other. Then Jared set to work on his belt, fingers fumbling before he finally got it undone and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Jensen lifted his hips to help Jared get the pants off and was only a little surprised when Jared went ahead and dragged his boxers off too.  
  
“You’re way more dressed than I am,” Jensen complained and Jared shot him a shit-eating grin.  
  
“That’s what makes it fun.” Before Jensen could protest, he had one of those goddamn giant hands wrapped around him, pumping firmly and twisting just a little bit. It was practically perfect and Jensen bit down on his lip to stop the little whimpers that seemed to be escaping his mouth against his will.  
  
“Ah, Jared, wait, you’re not even—” he said none too coherently and Jared laughed.  
  
“Alright, alright,” he conceded, letting go of Jensen and rolling to his feet so he could shuck his jeans and boxers before draping himself back over the other man. Jensen as completely surrounded by Jared; the feel of his length dragging against Jensen’s was almost too much.  
  
“Jesus,” Jared gasped, dropping his forehead against Jensen’s. “You’re…you’re really fuckin’ beautiful, you know that?”  
  
Jensen shook his head, embarrassed. “You’re not too bad yourself, Jay.” Jared hummed in what might’ve been agreement and rocked against Jensen a few more times until he was clutching at Jared’s back and babbling and gasping. Jensen pushed and pulled at Jared like he wasn’t sure if it was too much or he wanted more, and Jared took the opportunity to start nipping along his collarbone, soothing the bites with kitten licks and kisses.  
  
“We aren’t even going to get there if you keep this up,” Jensen warned and Jared grinned down at him.  
  
“Little impatient, are we, Jen?” Jensen opened his mouth to tell him not to call him that, but Jared just kissed him again and he kind of forgot why he hadn’t wanted him to in the first place. He was so lost in the kiss that he didn’t even notice Jared’s hand trailing down his body until there was suddenly a single finger gently pressing into him. He hadn’t even seen Jared reach for the lube, what the hell?  
  
“Oh god,” he moaned, throwing his head back against the pillow. Jared laughed and wriggled his finger in a little deeper, brushing against his prostate and sending Jensen arching up off the bed. “Jesus Christ, do that again.”  
  
Jared complied and he whined in the back of his throat, hands scrambling against Jared’s sweat-slippery shoulders. Jared kissed him again, carefully adding a second lube-coated finger and crooking them both against the spot again and Jensen swore, hips jerking down against Jared’s hand.  
  
“Can—can you just stop teasing, ah, and just get on with it?” He tried to snap, but his voice was faint and breathy.  
  
Thankfully, Jared didn’t seem like he was in the mood to draw this out much longer, either, quickly sliding a third finger in to join the other two and twisting his wrist while scissoring his fingers, stretching Jensen for him.  
  
Suddenly, Jared’s hand disappeared and Jensen made a startled sound, feeling strangely bereft. Before he could verbalize the complaint, Jared was back, hovering up on his knees and rolling a condom on. He picked up the bottle of lube and poured a generous amount into his hand before rubbing it all along his length. His head fell back and his mouth opened on a groan as he jacked himself, eyelashes fluttering.  
  
“You need to be over here right now,” Jensen instructed and Jared dropped his hand and sank down on top of him, bracing his arms on either side of Jensen’s head. Jensen hooked his ankles over Jared’s shoulders and pulled him in closer, earning another groan. Jensen felt the blunt head of Jared’s cock press against him and then Jared was sinking in with excruciating slowness.  
  
“Jesus, Jen, you’re so tight,” Jared hissed, still pressing in. “Fuckin’ gorgeous. I just.”  
  
Jensen whimpered and pushed his hips up into Jared, feeling his heart swell at Jared’s words. “Shh, it’s okay, we’re good. Ah.” He gasped when Jared bottomed out, feeling impossibly close, pressed together, chest to chest, and completely full of Jared. It took him a minute to gather himself and when he did, he could feel Jared trembling with exertion, holding himself back. “It’s okay, Jared, you can move.”  
  
Jared complied, pulling all the way out to the tip and pressing forward with a single, smooth thrust. Despite all of Jensen’s expectations, he took it slow and was almost painfully gentle, circling his hips and kissing Jensen’s chin, nose, cheeks, mumbling his name over and over again until it lost all meaning. It felt like hours had passed, Jared languorously fucking him like he never wanted to do anything else ever again. Jensen had never been on the edge like this for so long before, in a way that felt almost painful and ridiculously good at the same time.  
  
Finally, Jared started picking up the pace, his thrusts growing sharper and more unsteady as he started getting close. Jensen wrapped his arms around the back of Jared’s head and pulled him down into a kiss as he got faster and more erratic.  
  
“Oh my God, Jared, please,” Jensen gasped against his mouth, “C’mon, c’mon, please.”  
  
“Jensen, I’ve got you, Jen,” Jared whispered, hips pumping even faster. “Ah, Christ—”  
  
Suddenly, he had a hand wrapped around Jensen again, jacking him in time to his thrusts and it only took a few firm strokes before Jensen was crying out, and throwing his head back into the pillows, eyes slamming shut. He heard Jared make a choked noise and his eyes flew open just in time to see Jared fling his head back, mouth opened on a gasp as he came, screwing even deeper into Jensen’s body, shaking apart with his climax. He fell forward onto Jensen’s chest with a massive exhale, lips smashed against his collarbone.  
  
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” he panted after a few moments of silence. “That was incredible.”  
  
Jensen nodded, brushing Jared’s damp hair out of his face and kissing him over and over again. Jared pulled back carefully, easing himself out and flopped down on the mattress next to Jensen. “You’re incredible, Jen,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around Jensen’s waist and pulling him close.  
  
“I think I’m in love with you,” Jensen said before he could think better of it. He glanced up at Jared, who was wearing a soft smile. “Is it possible to fall in love that fast?”  
  
“I think it is,” Jared said. “I would definitely know.” He kissed Jensen again, whispering the same three words against his lips and there was nothing in the world better than hearing that.


	7. Part Seven

 

Jared woke up the next morning to Jensen, curled under his arm, out cold. There was a beam of sunlight cutting across his face, but he seemed unbothered, still deeply asleep, all the stress lines wiped from his face. He was the most beautiful person Jared had ever seen.  
  
“Are you staring at me?” Jensen grumbled without opening his eyes.  
  
“Yes,” Jared answered unapologetically. Jensen opened one green eye blearily.  
  
“Stop that,” he grumped, burrowing in even closer to Jared’s chest. “I want coffee.”  
  
“You know, if you want me to get up and get you coffee, you’re going to have to let me go,” Jared said, trying vainly to smooth out Jensen’s sleep-flattened hair.  
  
Jensen sighed deeply and opened both of his eyes. “Bring back coffee for caffeine and lazy snuggling?”  
  
“Now that’s a plan I can get behind,” Jared agreed, rolling out of bed and searching around until he found his boxers. He pulled them on and grinned at Jensen one more time before tramping down to the kitchen.  
  
Chad was in the kitchen pouring his own cup of coffee. He eyed Jared up and down and smirked. “Well, well, well, look who got laid last night.”  
  
“Shut up, dude,” Jared said, rolling his eyes.  
  
“And not even waiting until the third date?” His roommate pulled an exaggerated shocked face. “Padalecki you big whore.”  
  
Jared punched him halfheartedly in the shoulder. “Outta the way, asshat. Jensen wants coffee.”  
  
Chad moved to the side obligingly, but didn’t leave. “You know, I’ve met him a couple times, and you’ve met a few of his friends, but we should really all get together or something.”  
  
Jared glanced up, surprised to hear actual sense from his friend. “What’d you have in mind?”  
  
“A good old-fashioned Texas barbeque, of course!” Chad exclaimed. “We didn’t drag that hella expensive grill up here so it could rust out on the patio!”  
  
“It’s a little cold for a barbeque, Chad,” Jared pointed out.  
  
“That’s the beauty of having a house instead of an apartment; everyone can eat inside! C’mon, Jay, it would be fun. Plus those chick-baristas are super hot.”  
  
Jared sighed, pouring two cups of coffee. “I should’ve known that there was another reason behind this.”  
  
“Seriously dude, it’s a good idea. Just think about it.”  
  
“Fine.”  
  
Jared trooped back up the stairs, coffee in hand, and reentered the bedroom.  
  
“Gimme,” Jensen said, reaching one hand up and making a grabby motion. Jared extended the coffee and was gratified that Jensen instead grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down to the bed, even though he almost spilled the coffee.  
  
Jared scooted up so he was leaning against the headboard so he could sip his coffee, and soon enough, Jensen did the same, leaning against Jared and drinking his coffee like the mug contained his very life’s essence.  
  
“So Chad wants to have a barbeque,” Jared said conversationally. “You know, so that all our friends can get to know each other and such.”  
  
“You’re kidding,” Jensen said. “Chris suggested the same thing the other day, but our apartment is way too small to host something like that.”  
  
“We could do it here,” suggested Jared. “It would be a lot of fun.”  
  
“Sure,” the barista agreed. “Are you any good at grilling?”  
  
“Are you kidding? I’m a master grill smith!” Jared exclaimed. “I’m from Texas for Chrissakes! You haven’t lived until you’ve had one of my burgers.”  
  
Jensen grinned. “Yeah? I’m looking forward to it, then.”  
  
***  
  
The barbeque was planned for the following Saturday and Jared was excited. He loved getting to know new people and he loved food, so it stood to reason that a barbeque at his new house was exactly the kind of thing he needed.  
  
Meanwhile, there was a lot going on at the bookshop. Genevieve was thrilled with Danneel’s invitation to be involved in the block party, and she was frantically trying to throw together some shelves for the outdoor book sale.  
  
“I don’t know which books to include!” she moaned, tossing aside a paperback of Harry Potter. “What if somebody wants something that I don’t have out there?”  
  
“Then you keep a key on your person and if they ask, you bring them inside to buy it,” Jared answered distractedly. “We’re only going to be right outside; Danni’s got the police blocking off the whole street for like four blocks.”  
  
“I guess that’s true,” Genevieve conceded. “I just want to put my best foot forward. I’m not super great at this running a business thing.”  
  
“You’re doing fine, Genevieve,” Jared tried to reassure her. “I mean, you had the balls and the funds to start this place to begin with, I think you have the gumption to see it through.”  
  
“Gumption?” she teased, “What are you, a 1940s reporter?”  
  
“I’d be good at it, don’t lie.” He paused. “Hey, listen, so Jensen and I are having a barbeque at my house on Saturday…would you like to come? I know it’s short notice and you’re my boss, but I would really like to get to know you as a friend as well.”  
  
Genevieve smiled. “I’d love to come, Jared!” she said. “Besides, I have to see the couple that everyone is talking about in action.”  
  
“People talk about us?” Jared asked, thrown. “What people?”  
  
“Dude, you’re dating the famously single but drop-dead gorgeous barista from the most well-established business in town. Of course people are talking.”  
  
“That won’t make Jensen happy,” Jared said, half to himself. “He’s so private…I don’t mean to drag his personal life out where everyone can see it.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Jared, no one’s saying anything bad,” she told him. “They’re just…talking. You know how people like to talk.”  
  
“Yeah, I guess so,” Jared agreed, but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that all this talking was going to do them no good.  
  
***  
  
Saturday dawned bright and early with Jared and Jensen frantically trying to throw together last minute preparations for the party. Early in the afternoon they sent Chad on an ice run, and somehow had ended up nearly horizontal on the kitchen island shortly thereafter.  
  
“Jared,” Jensen panted, one foot just barely on the floor to balance him. “Not that I’m opposed to the idea of kitchen island sex, but we probably shouldn’t do that when your roommate could come back any minute and we’re having guests over in just a couple hours.”  
  
“You’re absolutely right,” Jared said, standing up abruptly, leaving a disoriented Jensen sprawled on the countertop.  
  
“I am?”  
  
“Yep, no fucking on the counters.”  
  
Before Jensen could even process what was happening, he was shoved all the way onto the countertop, feet dangling a couple inches off the floor and Jared setting to work on his zipper.  
  
“What’re you doing?” Jensen asked faintly as Jared shoved his jeans and boxers down around his knees.  
  
“Not fucking you on the kitchen counter,” Jared answered with a gleam in his eye, and then he dropped to his knees.  
  
“Jesus Christ,” Jensen managed, letting his head thunk back against the counter.  
  
“I prefer Jared,” the other man quipped before swallowing Jensen down in one fluid move.  
  
It didn’t last long, not with Jared determined to wring every last drop of pleasure out of Jensen’s body. He hummed contentedly and did some sort of swirl with his tongue that probably should’ve been illegal and that was it, Jensen went careening over the edge, his hands knotted in Jared’s hair and his voice breaking on his name. He rolled his head lazily to the side just in time to see Jared shove his hand down his jeans to bring himself off with a few quick strokes.  
  
“That was the hottest thing ever,” Jensen managed when he finally got his voice back, earning a grin from Jared.  
  
“I try. Now hurry up and put your pants back on before Chad gets home. I have to go change.”  
  
***  
  
The party was going great, in Jared’s opinion, and he was beginning to reassess his worries about the gossiping he’d heard about earlier. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and, true to his word, Jensen tried and loved Jared’s burgers.  
  
Chad and Misha were having an animated discussion that didn’t make any sense to Jared, so he floated over to where Jensen had joined Danni, Hilarie, and Genevieve on the sofa.  
  
“Hey, Jared, great party!” Danni greeted. “You’re quite the chef.”  
  
“It’s a Texas thing,” Jensen said. “Next time, I get to grill and everyone can bow to my barbequing prowess.”  
  
“Somebody’s jealous,” Danni stage-whispered and Genevieve giggled. Jensen opened his mouth to respond when the doorbell rang.  
  
“Who could that be?” Jensen wondered, “Everyone’s already here.”  
  
“I’ll get it,” Jared offered, hopping up and crossing to the door. No one was really paying attention, too caught up in their own conversations, and Jared didn’t think anything of it until he opened the door.  
  
“Oh my God,  _Sandy_?” Jared said, too surprised at seeing his ex-fiancé on his doorstep to censor himself.  
  
She looked a little uncomfortable, but she stood her ground. “Hi Jared. Can we maybe talk?”  
  
Jared just stepped back, allowing her room to enter, but his mind was whirring. What could she possibly be doing here?  
  
“You, uh, sorry, we were having a party…” he managed helplessly. His eyes flicked to where Jensen was sitting on the couch, watching them with a confused expression on his face.  
  
“Can we just go in the other room or something? It’ll only take a minute.”  
  
“Yeah, sure,” Jared nodded, leading her up the stairs to his bedroom. She followed him inside wordlessly and he closed the door, turning to face her. “So what’s this about? It’s not like you were in the neighborhood, you had to have come here for a reason.”  
  
“Jared, I made a huge mistake in telling you that I didn’t want to marry you,” Sandy said bluntly. “I’m here to beg you to take me back.”  
  
Jared stared. He took a step back, letting out a startled laugh. “Why the sudden change of heart?”  
  
“It’s not sudden, it’s been an ongoing thing since I broke it off.” She gave him a pleading look. “It was a mistake, can’t you understand that?”  
  
“I get that, I do, but Sandy, I’m with someone else now.”  
  
“You mean Jensen?” she said, frowning. “Yeah, I heard about that.”  
  
“What have you got against Jensen?” Jared asked, warning clear in his voice.  
  
“It’s obvious what you’re doing here, Jared!” Sandy shot back, “He’s a rebound! You aren’t even gay, you’re just experimenting because you didn’t know what else to do. He’s pretty and he’s a challenge, and you’ve always loved a challenge.”  
  
“That’s not true!”  
  
Sandy raised her eyebrows. “Oh, it’s not? So you guys are soul mates and you’re gonna get gay-married and adopt a bunch of babies?”  
  
“I didn’t say that either!”  
  
“Then what exactly are you saying?” Sandy asked coldly. “You’re suddenly gay now?”  
  
If Jared hadn’t been so thrown off by the change in her tone, he might’ve heard the creak of the door because that damn latch didn’t work, but he was suddenly too pissed to think clearly.  
  
“What do you want me to say? ‘You’re right, I’m still in love with you, I don’t give a fuck about Jensen and this was all just a game to me?’” He paused, shaking his head in disbelief, turning to pace away, fighting the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she understood. That she would come up here like this and say these things…it was unbelievable. “It’s not gonna happen, Sandy, because I love Jensen and you left me, remember?”  
  
“Jared,” Sandy said, eyes welling with tears, “I told you I’m  _sorry_! It was a mistake, what else can I do to fix it?”  
  
“You can’t fix it, okay?” Jared said, suddenly tired. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’m happy now and you just have to live with the decisions you’ve made. I’ve certainly made mine.”  
  
He stepped around her and opened the door, not waiting to see if she would follow, and marched down the stairs. Jared had just enough time to register that the living room was dead silent before he was on the receiving end of a particularly painful right hook. He crumpled back on the stairs, clutching his jaw. “Ow, what the fuck?”  
  
Chris was standing over him and he looked livid. “Don’t you what the fuck me, you bastard, what the fuck is wrong with you?”  
  
“What are you talking about? Where’s Jensen?” At the question, Chris looked like he was ready to jump on him again, but Jeff put a staying hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Jensen is gone, Jared,” he said, and even his typically warm voice sounded cool. “He came up to see if you guys were okay, and he heard what you said to Sandy. Took off like a bat outta hell.”  
  
“What I said…?” Jared stopped, suddenly remembering the creak in the door and the words he’d said immediately after.  
  
 _“What do you want me to say? ‘You’re right, I’m still in love with you, I don’t give a fuck about Jensen and this was all just a game to me?’”_  
  
“Oh shit,” Jared said scrambling to his feet. “Shit, shit, shit. That’s not—fuck. Nevermind, I have to go.”  
  
“You need to leave Jensen the fuck alone,” Chris said, stepping in between Jared and the door. “I’m not gonna let you hurt him even more.”  
  
“That’s not what happened, he misheard the conversation!” Jared said a little desperately. “C’mon, I have to go explain to him.”  
  
“Jared,” Misha said quietly from where he was standing with Danni. Jared realized he was practically shaking with anger, which was something he’d never expected to see from the level-headed barista. “I don’t see how what you said could’ve been misconstrued.”  
  
“I don’t have time to explain this all to you, because if I know Jensen, he’s gonna be gone if I give him long enough.”  
  
Misha hesitated, but Chris wasn’t backing down. “Not happening, Padalecki.”  
  
“I’m really, really sorry Chris,” Jared said sincerely.  
  
“Wha—?” Chris started before Jared hit him as hard as he could. Chris fell back with a startled curse and Jared took the opportunity to get past him and out the door. He had his keys out before he even got to his car, unlocking the door and sliding in to start it without even reaching for his seatbelt. He was gunning it out of the driveway when Chris staggered out of the house, shouting something behind him, but Jared didn’t wait around to see what he was saying.  
  
He broke every traffic law twice on his way to Jensen’s apartment, parking diagonally across two spaces and then taking the stairs two at a time to Jensen’s door.  
  
“Jen?” he shouted, banging on the door. “Jensen, c’mon open up!” He reached for the handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. Dreading what he was about to find, Jared pushed the door open and stepped inside.  
  
The picture of Jensen’s family from the wall was gone. His water bottle that usually sat on the kitchen table, too. Jared stumbled down the hallway to Jensen’s room and shoved open the door. Jensen’s reading glasses were gone, as were the notebooks from his bedside table, and the book he’d been reading the last time Jared had been over. The closet was hanging open and most of Jensen’s clothes and the suitcase from the top shelf were missing.  
  
Jensen was gone.  
  
***  
  
Jared took his time going back to his house, not sure what he was going to find when he got there. Chris hadn’t shown up at the apartment, so Jared was sure he would still be at the house, and he was probably pissed.  
  
Sure enough, when he got back, Chris was still there, but mercifully, it seemed like most everyone else had cleared out. The only people left were Chris, Misha, and Danni sitting on the couch, and his own roommate, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.  
  
“Is Sandy gone?” Jared asked as he closed the door behind him, coming to face the group. Chad nodded shortly.  
  
“She wanted to hide out in your room after everything went south, but I sent her packin’.”  
  
“Thanks, man.”  
  
“You have about three seconds to explain yourself to me, Padalecki,” Chris cut in. “Or I won’t be held responsible for what I do.”  
  
“Sandy’s my ex-fiance.” Jared explained. “I told Jensen about her already, but I didn’t ever think she’d show up here. She said she wanted me back.”  
  
“And then you told her that you loved her and that you didn’t give a fuck about Jensen and that he was just a game to you,” Chris supplied helpfully.  
  
“I was saying it sarcastically!” Jared defended. “I followed it immediately with telling her that it wasn’t going to happen.”  
  
“You expect us to believe—" Chris started, but he cut off abruptly when Misha held up his hand.  
  
“I believe you.”  
  
“You do?” Jared said, surprised. Chris snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
Misha nodded. “I mean, you decked Chris so you could chase after Jensen, that’s not exactly a smart thing to do, and definitely not the actions of a man who is just playing a game.”  
  
“I really am sorry about that,” Jared directed at Chris, eyeing the purpling bruise apologetically.  
  
“So did you explain the situation to Jensen?” Danni asked, finally piping up.  
  
Jared’s stomach plummeted. “He’s gone. I—I got to the apartment and it was unlocked and all of this stuff was missing and his car was gone. I don’t know where he went.”  
  
The upset must’ve been evident on Jared’s face because Chris cursed and pulled out his phone, hitting one of the speed dial buttons. After a long moment, he hit disconnect and tossed it down on the table. “Fucker turned his phone off.”  
  
“Does anybody know where he might be headed?” Jared asked, trying not to let the desperation show in his voice. Danni shrugged helplessly and Chris looked nonplussed.  
  
“What if he went to Mack’s?” Misha suggested. “She’s the only person he has that’s not in Caribou.”  
  
“Where does she live?” Jared demanded.  
  
“Boston,” answered Misha immediately. “It’s about seven hours from here.”  
  
“Okay,” Jared nodded. “Okay, I’m gonna go. I’m gonna try to find him. If you hear from him, or if he comes back, call me.” He started to the front closet to grab his book bag and Chad stepped in front of him.  
  
“Dude, are you sure this is a good idea? Just taking off on a seven hour drive without knowing whether he’s even there?”  
  
Jared shook his head. “I don’t care, I don’t care. I have to find him. No way I’m going to let it end like this. I love him.” He threw the strap over his shoulder and glanced over at the others. “Would someone tell Genevieve in case I’m not back by Monday for work?”  
  
Danni nodded. “I’ll let her know. And Jared…it’s really important to me that Jensen isn’t hurt, but don’t forget that the block party is Friday, if you can make it back.”  
  
“We’ll be back,” Jared said with certainty. “I’ll—I’ll figure it out.”  
  
***  
  
Jared drove straight through the night, only stopping for gas and caffeine. The BP was thick as tar and tasted like ashes in his mouth, but Jared powered through, chugging the whole thing so he could keep awake. He hit Boston at around 4 in the morning and got a room at a little cheap motel on the outskirts of town.  
  
Sleep didn’t come easy, though, and after a few hours of tossing and turning, Jared rose with the sun and checked out, going to find some fast food breakfast. He choked down an Egg McMuffin and some orange juice, trying to decide on his next step. When he checked his phone, he had no calls from Jensen, but he did have a text from Chris with Mackenzie’s phone number. It was almost eight o’clock, so he figured it was probably late enough to call her.  
  
The phone rang twice before she answered. “Mackenzie Ackles.”  
  
“Hi, um, Mackenzie?” Jared stammered, “Um, my name is Jared, I’m—”  
  
“Jensen’s Jared?” she asked, sharply.  
  
“Yeah, um—”  
  
“Stay away from my brother, Jared. You’ve done enough damage already.”  
  
“No, wait—” Mackenzie hung up before he could explain. “Shit.” He tried calling back, but she sent him straight to voicemail, so he hung up without leaving a message, knowing full well she wouldn’t listen to it.  
  
Jared hesitated and then called Misha, who answered immediately. “What’s going on?”  
  
“Mackenzie hung up on me,” Jared explained. “I don’t know how to find him.”  
  
Misha hesitated. “If he’s staying with her, I can give you her address, but Mack doesn’t fuck around. She will call the cops on you if you piss her off.”  
  
“I don’t care,” Jared said immediately. “I have to get to him.”  
  
“Alright, I’ll text you her address, gimme a minute.”  
  
Jared exhaled. “Misha you’re an angel.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, save it.”  
  
Five minutes later, Jared had Mackenzie’s address in hand. He plugged it into his GPS and got into the car, hoping he hadn’t fucked everything up for good.  
  
***  
  
“Jensen?” Jared knocked on the door for what felt like the thousandth time. “Jensen, c’mon, are you in there?”  
  
There was still no answer. The driveway was empty, but the garage door was closed. For all Jared knew, Jensen could be standing three feet away, nothing but an inch of oak separating them. When he’d taken off from Caribou, it hadn’t really occurred to him that Jensen might not want to see him. Surely, he’d realize that Jared wouldn’t follow him all the way down here if he didn’t mean something to him. Frustration mounting, he banged on the door a couple more times, open-palmed, and tried to peer through the window, despite knowing that the curtains were drawn.  
  
Discouraged, Jared slumped away from the door and back to his car. He sat behind the steering wheel for a long moment, staring blankly through the windshield. Finally he turned the key in the ignition and steered back towards the motel he’d stayed in the night before. He’d just have to come up with a better plan. Preferably one that didn’t wind up with him spending the night in jail for stalking.  
  
Halfway back to the motel he saw a billboard advertizing the Charles Hayden Planetarium. It was still early in the day, no point in going back to the motel and moping. The night sky picture on the billboard reminded him of his first date with Jensen, so he plugged the planetarium address into his GPS and took the exit it directed him to, heading in the opposite direction of his motel. Jared willfully ignored the voice in his head that pointed out this wasn’t helping him find Jensen. He knew full well that if Jensen didn’t want to be found, he probably wouldn’t be, but he was trying not to think too hard about that.  
  
Against all odds, the planetarium was doing an exhibit on the Northern Lights. After he purchased his tickets, the sales lady explained that he could just go into the planetarium and have a seat, enjoying the exhibit for as long as he liked. Jared thanked her and went into the darkened theatre.  
  
It was hard to see, so he stumbled around for a few moments before he found a good seat and sat down to recline. At the moment, the sky was just stars, but as he watched, pale pink swirls started to fade into view.  
  
Jared sighed and closed his eyes, feeling profoundly sad about the situation. Maybe it had been a mistake to come to this planetarium; it reminded him too much of Jensen. Moping at the motel suddenly seemed infinitely preferable. He stood up abruptly, desperate to leave.  
  
A green streak flashed across the sky, lighting up the planetarium like fate and Jared saw Jensen curled up in a chair two rows forward. He made a startled noise and stepped forward, nearly tripping over a chair. “Down in front!” someone snapped, but Jared wasn’t paying them any attention.  
  
“Jensen!” he called before he could think better of it. Jensen’s head snapped in his direction and then he was up and out of his seat, heading for the door. “No!” Jared jumped over the last row of chairs, heedless of the disgruntled people he was knocking into, and grabbed Jensen’s wrist. “Wait, please.”  
  
“What do you want?” Jensen hissed, trying to wrench his hand free, but Jared held firm.  
  
“Jen—”  
  
“Don’t call me that!” he snapped. “Let go of me.”  
  
“Jensen, please, listen,” Jared begged. “You didn’t hear what you think you heard.”  
  
“What, you mean you saying that you don’t give a fuck about me? That I’m just a game for you to play until you go back to your fiancée?” The lights flashed overhead and Jared got another glimpse of Jensen’s drawn expression, his face closed off, lips twisting unhappily.  
  
“None of that’s true. That’s what I was telling her, Jensen,” Jared insisted. “You didn’t hear the whole conversation.”  
  
Jensen tried to pull away again, but there was doubt on his face. “Oh, yeah?” he sneered.  
  
“Yes. Ask Misha or Chris or Danni. Fuck, Chris punched me in the face,” Jared said and Jensen’s eyes flicked towards his, catching on the shiner Chris had given him. He still didn’t look completely convinced. “Why don’t you believe me?”  
  
Jensen shrugged, looking away. “It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened,” he answered. “You know Michael got married just a year after he dumped me? I found out on Facebook. He’d started dating her before he even outed me.”  
  
“I’m not Michael,” Jared said firmly. “And in case you forgot, I’m the one who pursued you.”  
  
Jensen still wouldn’t look at him, and Jared felt panic clawing at his throat. “You just have to trust me, okay? You’re  _it_  for me, Jensen. Nobody else. You’re—” He glanced heavenward, eyes catching on the domed ceiling of the planetarium. “You’re my North Star.”  
  
Jensen huffed out an uncertain laugh, but at least he wasn’t trying to pull free of Jared’s grip anymore. “That’s the hokiest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”  
  
“Good. It’s one hundred percent true.”  
  
Jensen finally looked at him again, and his eyes were swimming with tears. “You mean it?”  
  
Jared kissed him in reply. “I promise.”  
  
“Okay,” Jensen whispered, leaning in to kiss him again as the Northern Lights exploded overhead.


	8. Epilogue

 

It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world, going back with Jared. Sure, he’d explained the misunderstanding and they’d literally kissed and made up, but that didn’t stop Jensen from having a small breakdown as he drove back to Mack’s to pick up his stuff, Jared’s car omnipresent in the rearview mirror.  
  
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Jared, it was just that, well, it made sense. Jared had been engaged to Sandy—they’d dated for three years. To hear that he’d take her back if she gave him the opportunity wouldn’t have come as a shock. Jensen was well aware that someone as together as Sandy probably had a lot more to offer Jared than some second-rate failed writer-turned barista with emotional issues deeper than the Atlantic Ocean.  
  
But Jared was here, had chased him all the way to Boston to say that he  _did_  want Jensen and that it wasn’t just some game to patch up his broken heart. That was more unexpected than the alternative, and it kind of freaked him out. Jensen was used to running when things got too difficult, had trained himself to always count on things going sour, and he wasn’t entirely sure that he could live up to Jared’s expectations.  
  
By the time they reached Mackenzie’s house, Jensen had managed to put up a front of calm, even if he couldn’t meet Jared’s eyes when the other man met him on the porch. He clenched his fist in his jacket pocket and chewed on the inside of his lip, but his expression was clear.  
  
Of course Jared couldn’t be satisfied with the mask like everyone else, it’d never fooled him before. “Hey,” he said softly, ducking his head to try and get Jensen to look him in the eyes. “You okay?”  
  
Jensen swallowed past the lump in his throat and nodded. Jared frowned, looking like he was going to push the issue, but then the front door flew open, slamming back against the wall with a bang. Mackenzie stood in the doorway, looking livid, two spots of color high on her cheeks.  
  
“I told you to leave him the hell alone, you spineless little—”  
  
“Whoa, Mack, it’s okay,” Jensen cut in, before she actually tried to jump Jared. Little she might be, weak she was not. “This has all just been…a big misunderstanding.”  
  
Mackenzie brushed a long lock of blonde hair out of her face and glared at Jared, apparently undeterred by Jensen’s words. “Oh, has it?”  
  
Jared smiled weakly. “I’m really sorry to bother you,” he said. “But it’s been a really long twelve hours. I promise, I never meant to hurt Jensen. There was just some miscommunication.”  
  
She scowled, her gaze darting to Jensen’s and he nodded in confirmation. “It’s true, Mack. I guess I panicked and ran before I got the whole story.” Much to his mortification, Jensen could feel his face heating. “I overreacted.”  
  
“No, it’s not your fault,” Jared said before Mackenzie could respond. “I shouldn’t’ve let Sandy provoke me. Don’t blame yourself.”  
  
Mackenzie’s expression softened incrementally as Jared spoke, though he didn’t seem to notice, his eyes fixed unnervingly on Jensen. “So, are you going back to Caribou?” she asked finally, glancing between the two of them.  
  
Jensen nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for dragging you into my drama.”  
  
Mack frowned. “Hey, don’t be like that. You know I love to see you, drama or not. We don’t get to spend as much time together as we used to.”  
  
“You should come up to the block party next weekend,” Jared blurted out and they both turned to look at him. “Sorry, not my business. I just think,” he paused, tongue flashing out to wet his bottom lip. “There aren’t enough people in the world who care about Jensen as much as he deserves. It’d be nice for you to get to spend some time together.”  
  
Mackenzie smiled at him, and this time her expression was almost warm. “Yeah. That…would be nice. I don’t know if my car can make it, but I suppose I could always book a flight.”  
  
“Why don’t you just take Jensen’s?” Jared suggested. “That way we could ride back together tonight, and you only have to pay air fare one way.” He glanced at Jensen, expression hopeful.  
  
Jensen sighed. “That would work,” he agreed. He imagined Jared wanted to make the drive back to Caribou together because he wasn’t sure that Jensen wouldn’t take off on him again, but he couldn’t find it in himself to begrudge him that. “Let me just get my stuff gathered up and then we can head out.”  
  
He slipped past Mackenzie and went into the guest bedroom to get his things. Somehow, he ended up sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, trying to breathe through his rising panic. Jared was being so nice, and so calm, but there was no way this could last, could it? Eventually, he’d resent that Jensen was as flighty as he was, skipping town over a couple of sentences he’d barely heard, eavesdropping through a door. Sooner or later, he’d figure out that he’d made a huge mistake in trusting his heart to Jensen. Nothing this good could possibly last.  
  
“Hey Jen, are you coming?” he heard Jared call and pulled himself together, stuffing the few things he’d managed to drag out of his suitcase back in and zipping it up. He cast his gaze around the room one last time, making sure he hadn’t accidentally left anything behind.  
  
“Just one minute!” he called back. Jensen took a moment to grab his suitcase and book bag, pausing in the doorway to arrange his expression into something more neutral before heading back out to the living room. “Ready when you are, Jay.”  
  
Mackenzie pulled him down into a hug. “Call me if you need anything,” she whispered, her arms tight around his neck. “I’ll see you Friday.”  
  
“Love you,” Jensen said automatically and she smiled.  
  
“Love you more.”  
  
She watched from the porch as Jared squeezed Jensen’s luggage back behind the seats of his truck, raising her hand to wave as they pulled out of the driveway.  
  
“Your sister is pretty cool,” Jared ventured after a few minutes, making the exit out onto the interstate as he spoke. “Scary, but cool.”  
  
“She’s just a little overprotective,” Jensen answered with a small smile.  
  
“Can’t fault her for that,” Jared agreed. “Listen, though. Are you sure you’re okay? You seem a little off.”  
  
Jensen sighed. “I’m—” he paused, considering. The truth was too complicated, and it might make things turn south. If trying to avoid that made him selfish, Jensen figured he could live with it. “I’m just really exhausted, is all.”  
  
“I hear that. Seven hours could not go fast enough,” Jared answered. “I just want to get home.”  
  
They lapsed into silence after that, the sound of the tires on the highway the only noise besides the quiet hum of the radio. Jensen pressed his forehead to the glass of the window and watched the countryside roll by and it wasn’t long before he slipped off to sleep.  
  
***  
  
The week after Jensen’s ill-advised flight to Boston was terrible, and it was entirely his fault.  
  
It had started as soon as they got back to Caribou, Jared asking whether Jensen wanted to come back home with him, or go back to his own apartment. Clearly, he was trying to give Jensen his space, but the hopeful look in his eye made it evident what he preferred. But Jensen was still feeling pretty overwhelmed, so he asked to be dropped back at his apartment, pretending not to see Jared’s face fall. In the time it took for Jared’s taillights to disappear around the corner, Jensen was already regretting the decision, but he hauled himself upstairs and collapsed into his empty bed for a restless sleep.  
  
The next morning wasn’t much better. Jensen was sleep-deprived and cranky, annoyed by the way Danni was tiptoeing around him, and then Jared walked into the shop. They exchanged pleasantries while Jensen made his latte, but it was more stilted and uneasy than it had been since they first started dating. Jared left without the usual sunny smile on his face and Danni eyed Jensen worriedly over the espresso machine. She didn’t say anything, and Jensen found himself wishing she would. After work, Jensen retreated to his apartment, closing himself in his room before Chris got home, watching reruns of  _Friends_  until he fell asleep.  
  
The next day went pretty much the same way. Jared came in as usual, but he looked tired and unhappy, despite his attempts to joke around. At least no one else was on shift with him, so Jensen didn’t have to deal with any accusing looks when he sent Jared on his way, looking like a kicked puppy.  
  
Jensen had every intention in the world to repeat the previous evening’s activities when he got home, but Chris was sitting on the sofa, waiting for him. There was a greenish-purple bruise high on his cheekbone, bleeding into the dip underneath his eye, making him look sinister. He was tapping his thumb repeatedly against his knee, scowling at nothing and Jensen knew immediately that this wasn’t going to be an enjoyable conversation.  
  
“Hey,” he said weakly, dropping his book bag next to the door and kicking off his shoes.  
  
“Hey yourself,” Chris retorted. “Haven’t seen much of you the last couple days.”  
  
Jensen shrugged. “Just been pretty tired. I think I’m gonna go—”  
  
“Cut the crap, Jense,” Chris interrupted. “We gotta talk.”  
  
“Do we have to do this right now?” Jensen asked, aware that his tone was dangerously close to pleading, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.  
  
“Would you rather wait until you’ve alienated everyone else first?” Jensen didn’t answer. “Uh huh. Sit down.”  
  
“Chris, listen, I don’t really feel like talking about this,” he tried, dropping onto the couch next to his friend.  
  
Chris shrugged. “Yeah, well, that makes two of us. Y’know, I was ready to kick Padalecki’s ass for you, but you’re doing a better job of it than I ever could.”  
  
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jensen demanded, stung.  
  
“You know exactly what I mean, man,” Chris countered. “Look, I get that what happened with Weatherly fucked with you…it was a really shitty situation. But that doesn’t mean you gotta sabotage every other attempt at a relationship because you’re afraid it’ll turn out the same.”  
  
“That’s not—I’m not—”  
  
“Dude, other than the coffee shop, have you seen or spoken to Jared since you guys came back?” When Jensen didn’t answer, he nodded. “Didn’t think so. He came after you, man, why are you still acting like you got dumped?”  
  
“He shouldn’t’ve  _had_  to come after me,” Jensen said quietly. “I should have given him a chance to explain—what kind of person takes off across the country over a misunderstanding?”  
  
Chris frowned. “Jensen…”  
  
“No. Really, what kind of emotional cripple does that make me?” he cut him off, voice rising. “And how long will Jared tolerate it as a weird personality quirk before he figures out that it fucks with my whole life and that he deserves so much better than that?”  
  
Chris stared at him, obviously surprised by the outburst, and Jensen scrambled to his feet shaking his head. “I can’t do this. I have to go.” He left his roommate sitting on the couch and went to fling himself into bed, yanking the covers over his head and wishing the world away.  
  
***  
  
Wednesday was even worse than the two days previous. Misha was already behind the counter when Jensen staggered in, eyeing him with concern.  
  
“What?” he snapped.  
  
“You doing alright, Jensen?” Misha asked in a level voice. Usually his mellowness calmed Jensen down, but today the carefully neutral expression on the other barista’s face just pissed him off.  
  
“Oh, I’m just peachy, Mish,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Misha looked cleanly surprised, hurt flashing across his features, but the guilt that Jensen felt just increased his frustration.  
  
“Sorry,” he muttered begrudgingly, turning away to hang up his jacket. Misha didn’t answer, but Jensen had probably set himself up for that reaction.  
  
The bell above the door chimed, and Jensen looked up, hands tightening in the apron he’d picked up. Jared was hovering awkwardly in the doorway, hunched like he was trying to make himself smaller. His eyes darted between the two baristas and Jensen dropped his gaze first, tying on his apron with trembling fingers.  
  
He stared at a scuff on the linoleum for a long moment, listening to Misha and Jared conversing in low tones, and the sound of the espresso machine hissing as Misha heated the milk.  
  
“Hey…Jensen?” Jared asked timidly, pulling him from his reverie. He forced himself to look up at Jared’s face and immediately regretted it; the solemn resigned look he was wearing had no business on Jared’s face.  
  
“Huh?” Jensen asked, realizing he’d missed something. Jared’s expression twisted.  
  
“I said, did you maybe want to grab dinner later or—or something?” he repeated, stammering over his words, drumming his fingers on the lid of his coffee cup.  
  
“Oh,” Jensen said stupidly, barely resisting the urge to ask  _why_? “Um…I don’t think. Uh. I—I have a lot to do before the block party on Friday.”  
  
Jared’s face fell rather drastically, and Jensen felt like there was a hand slowly squeezing his heart, but he didn’t say anything, just staring at Jared with a blank expression on his face.  
  
“Oh, um. Okay,” Jared mumbled, taking a step back. “I, I guess I’ll see you at the block party, maybe.” His composure was clearly failing him, and he turned and practically ran out the door, leaving Jensen rooted to the spot, watching him go. Jensen closed his eyes, willing the ground to swallow him up.  
  
“What the fuck is your problem?” Misha demanded.  
  
Jensen’s eyes snapped open. The other barista was standing in front of him, arms crossed, a fierce scowl on his face. It was startling, because in all the time he’d known Misha, he’d never seen the man lose his temper.  
  
“He has done nothing but care about you and try to help you. He chased your dumb ass all the way to Boston, but you’re just shutting him out. Jensen, what the  _hell_  are you doing?”  
  
“I.” Jensen faltered. “I’m not good enough for him, he just hasn’t figured it out yet.”  
  
Misha gaped at him for a long moment, silence stretching between them. Then he shook his head, expression darkening. “You are so full of shit. Really, I’ve never seen someone so full of shit.”  
  
Jensen glared. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
“I absolutely do, I promise you,” Misha said. “This isn’t even about you thinking you’re not good enough…you’re scared. I mean, you’re just an absolute coward.”  
  
“I am not!” Jensen protested. “Fuck you, Misha.”  
  
The other barista laughed, but there was no humor in it. “No, that didn’t turn out so well for me last time.” Before Jensen could even begin to process that, he was barreling ahead. “Jensen, listen to me. Jared is in love with you, and that’s scary enough on it’s own…but you’re in love with him too.”  
  
“So?” Jensen demanded, trying to stare Misha down and failing. “What’s that got to do with anything?”  
  
“It has everything to do with it! You’re so cynical…you’re afraid to let yourself get too invested. You think you aren’t good enough, and you come up with all these different ways it could possibly go wrong, but Jensen.” Misha grabbed his shoulder and gave him a rough shake. “Life is too short for that shit. It’s rare enough to fall in love…to find someone who feels the same…that’s extraordinary, man. You can’t fuck it up just because you’re afraid to try.”  
  
Misha’s blue eyes were intent on him, sad and imploring. Jensen pulled away, shaking his head. “But…but what if it does fall apart? I can’t do that again.”  
  
“You can’t live your life for ‘what ifs’ either, Jense,” Misha said gently. “If you do, you’re never going to figure out how to be happy.”  
  
***  
  
Jared didn’t come into coffee shop at all on Thursday. Jensen wondered if he’d finally managed to chase him away for good, his stomach twisting itself into knots at the thought. Of course, there was always the possibility that Jared was just busy at the bookshop, getting ready for the block party, but Jensen had always been rather cynical.  
  
He didn’t have much time to dwell on things, though, because there was still a lot to be done before the block party, not the least of which was just keeping Danneel from having a complete mental breakdown. She’d spent the better part of the morning pacing back and forth across the kitchen, alternately listing off things that still needed to be done and downing espresso like it was going out of style. Needless to say, Jensen had his hands full. He filled up her favorite purple water bottle and the next time she went for the espresso machine, he shoved the water into her hands with a meaningful look.  
  
“Okay, so we’ve got the diner providing desserts, and someone needs to go by the grocery store to pick up the hamburgers and stuff they promised us…” she said, stopping long enough to unscrew the lid of the water bottle before sitting it back down on the counter, much to Jensen’s despair. “Do we have a shopping list?”  
  
“I’m on it,” Misha volunteered immediately. “Any chance not taken to harass Murray is an opportunity missed, in my opinion.”  
  
Danni grabbed a fresh cup and started to make herself another latte. “Let’s see, what else…the thrift store’s doing a dunk tank and taking clothing donations, the art gallery is gonna set up an outdoor exhibit and do face painting for kids…that Italian place set up a kissing booth, and the shelter said they’d do a pet adoption drive…”  
  
“What are we doing for music?” Jensen asked, putting the lid back on Danni’s water bottle and stowing it under the counter with a sigh. There was no answer and when he reemerged, she was standing frozen in front of him, eyes wide as coins.  
  
“Oh my God, I forgot to get someone to do the music!” She looked like she was about to burst into tears. Jensen and Misha exchanged a startled look and Hilarie put an arm around her shoulder.  
  
“Hey, it’s okay, we can just set up a playlist on my iPod and hook it up to some speakers or something.”  
  
“No, we can’t!” Danni wailed, “I put ‘live music’ on all the flyers!”  
  
“Uh, is this a bad time?” Chris asked, hovering uncertainly in the door. “What’s going on?”  
  
“Danni forgot to book a band for the block party tomorrow, and we’re already over budget and don’t have time to find someone, anyway,” Hilarie explained, releasing Danneel so she could sink into the nearest chair with a groan, covering her face with her hands.  
  
“I could play,” Chris offered. “I know there’s a couple of guys at the record store where I work who would do drums and bass backup for me for free—they’d just be happy to be on stage.”  
  
Danneel peered up at him through her fingers. “Are you serious?”  
  
Chris shrugged, smiling easily. “That’s what friends are for, right?”  
  
“Oh my God, you’re actually my hero!” Danni exclaimed, jumping to her feet and yanking Chris into a firm hug. He laughed a little nervously, patting her on the back, and Danni pulled back to look at him. “Seriously, Chris, you’re a lifesaver,” She told him, and then she stretched up on tiptoe to kiss him firmly on the mouth.  
  
Chris’ face flushed red and he froze, but when Danni only pulled him closer with a sharp tug on his lapel, he gave in, arms wrapping tight around her waist as he kissed her back with enthusiasm, apparently unbothered by the bewildered stares they were getting from Hilarie, Jensen, and Misha.  
  
Finally they broke apart, Chris reaching out to brush a lock of hair out of Danni’s face. She giggled and his face turned beet red again.  
  
“If that’s how you thank me, I’ll have to do you favors more often,” he managed, trying and failing to keep the stupid grin off his face.  
  
“If that’s how you react to being kissed, you won’t have to,” Danneel retorted and he flushed an even deeper shade of crimson.  
  
“I, uh, I should probably go call Steve and Jason and let them know we gotta get a set together,” he stammered, swaying on the spot uncertainly.  
  
“Go,” Danni agreed. “I’ll still be here when you get back.” She pecked another kiss at the corner of his mouth and that got him moving, taking a few steps backwards towards the door. “By the way,” she added, “I’m taking you out to dinner after this whole block party is done with.”  
  
Chris grinned like an idiot and practically bounced out the door, leaving a shocked silence in his wake.  
  
“Well,” Misha finally said, “I’m going to go get the groceries and the $50 bucks Murray owes me now.”  
  
“You…bet on my love life?” Danneel demanded and the look on her face was enough to set Jensen off, laughing so hard that his ribs ached.  
  
Whatever happened with Jared, at least he had his friends, no matter what.  
  
***  
  
The next morning dawned far too early for Jensen’s liking. He could hardly be considered a morning person on the best of days, and this particular morning it was amplified by the knowledge that he couldn’t avoid Jared today, and he still wasn’t sure what to do.  
  
Rather than dwelling on it, Jensen fixed himself some coffee and took a quick shower. He threw on some jeans and a Kitchy Coffee t-shirt and was looking for his boots when there was a knock at the door. He hesitated, hoping maybe Chris would get it, but he had a vague recollection of hearing his roommate leave even earlier—probably to work on his set while he still had time.  
  
Jensen was still debating the merits of going to the door when he heard his sister’s voice. “Jensen Ross Ackles, I know you’re in there! You’d better open this damn door right now!”  
  
He was at the door before he even realized he was moving, swinging it open to reveal a very cranky looking Mackenzie, duffle over her shoulder.  
  
“I thought you weren’t going to be here until the block party started this afternoon?”  
  
“Surprise!” she said with a tired laugh. “I figured you could use all the help you could get. Also, Misha called,” she added apologetically. “He said you and Jared were still on the outs. Thought you could use some family.”  
  
Jensen sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But you have to have left at like…midnight or something.”  
  
“Eleven, actually, now let me in, I smell coffee,” Mack retorted, shoving the duffle bag into his hands and shouldering her way into the living room. “Coffee mugs still in the same cabinet?” she asked, flouncing past Jensen and disappearing around the corner.  
  
“Uh, yeah,” Jensen answered, dropping her bag on to the sofa. “Um, Mack? Thanks.”  
  
“Don’t thank me just yet,” she called from the kitchen. “If I’m not caffeinated soon, I will be no support at all!”  
  
He smiled, despite himself. He had the best sister in the world.  
  
***  
  
If Jensen had thought Danneel was hyperactive the day before, he had been sorely mistaken. She was practically vibrating with energy when they arrived at the coffee shop, and she put them to work immediately moving one of the espresso machines outside.  
  
“I’m gonna go check on Antonio, he said that one of his volunteers for the kissing booth came down with strep,” she said, halfway out the door, even as she spoke.  
  
“I bet Misha would be happy to help,” Jensen yelled after her, but she was already gone. He shook his head. “That girl is gonna run herself into the ground by the time the day is over.”  
  
Getting the espresso machine outside was a harder task than Jensen expected, one that required his full concentration. As soon as he and Mack managed to get it up onto the table Danni had directed them to, he leaned forward, bracing himself on his arms. “Damn,” he gasped, “that thing’s heavier than it looks.”  
  
“Jensen?”  
  
Jensen nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice, which certainly wasn’t his sister’s.  
  
“Oh, um, hi Jared,” he said awkwardly, turning to face him. Jared was hovering a few feet away, clutching a box of books to his chest. Mackenzie’s eyes darted between the two of them, silently asking Jensen if she needed to intervene.  
  
“Listen, I was just…” Jared started and Jensen felt himself tense up.  
  
“Yo, Padalecki, you planning on bringing those books over any time soon, or am I going to have to do your job for you?” Chad called and Jared visibly flinched.  
  
“Oh, sorry, I gotta go,” he mumbled and fled, leaving Jensen staring after him and feeling like a complete asshole.  
  
Mackenzie eyed him curiously. “Are you okay?” she asked.  
  
Jensen turned back to the espresso machine, fiddling with one of the knobs and trying to look busy. “Yeah,” he said distantly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”  
  
***  
  
The block party got quickly underway as the afternoon began. A trickle of people filtered in right away, but after just an hour, there were people everywhere. It seemed like the whole town had turned out and Jensen had his hands full making drinks for everyone that stopped by their booth.  
  
The bookstore’s kiosk was only a little ways down from theirs, so Jensen could see Jared easily. He smiled and joked with the people who stopped at his station, but when he was left alone for any period of time, a look of such acute misery would crash over his expression that Jensen thought he might just lie down right there and refuse to get up.  
  
Knowing it was his fault only made it worse, but even if Jensen had known what to say, he wouldn’t have had time to go over there. Even with Misha and Danni both on duty, there was a constant stream of people at the Kitchy Coffee booth. Jensen could only hope things would slow down as the afternoon progressed.  
  
Despite Jensen’s personal drama, the block party appeared to be a huge success. Half the town had turned out, Chris’ impromptu band was rocking, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. It reminded Jensen of carnivals during his childhood, under the hot Texas sun. People laughed, and kids ran past screaming, faced painted in vibrant colors. Across from their booth, the veterinary clinic and animal shelter had set up an adoption drive and the puppies were actually frolicking about in their pen, barking joyfully. It was all at such odds with Jensen’s mood that he felt like he’d sidestepped into Bizzaro world.  
  
Danneel must’ve picked up on it, because the first time they had a lull in customers, she sidled up to Jensen. “Go take a break, yeah? Cuddle some puppies or something, you look like you need it.”  
  
“Thanks, Danni,” Jensen said gratefully, tossing his apron behind the makeshift counter. “Back in twenty.”  
  
“No more, though,” she said teasingly. “Misha’s been eyeing that kissing booth ever since Chad took over for that sick kid.”  
  
Jensen laughed. “Never let it be said that he isn’t dedicated to harassment.”  
  
“Kinda reminds me of a little boy who used to pull my pigtails in third grade,” Danni said thoughtfully. “He was my first kiss.”  
  
Jensen ended up spending his break eating a burger with Mackenzie next to the puppy pen. He kept sneaking bites of his food to a fluffy little guy whose name tag said ‘Oscar.’ Turned out Danni had been right; the puppies did make him feel marginally better.  
  
“You’re gonna end up taking that dog home if you’re not careful,” Hilarie cautioned as she stepped into the pen to pick up one of the lucky ones that had been chosen by for adoption. She winked at him as she clipped a leash onto the pup’s collar and hurried back to the waiting family.  
  
“Is that such a bad thing?” Jensen mumbled, more to himself than anything, poking his fingers through the bars again and letting Oscar lick the mustard off his fingers.  
  
“Not necessarily,” Mackenzie answered anyway. “But if you’re just feeling weird and vulnerable because of this situation with Jared, it might not be the best idea.”  
  
Jensen sighed, flopping back on the grass next to her. “It’s not because of that,” he said honestly. “But that’s definitely contributing to my mood. I don’t know what to do.”  
  
Mack looked down at him. “Well…do you want to break up with him?”  
  
“No,” Jensen said immediately. “I can’t do that. I don’t want to do that.”  
  
“So find a way to apologize. Even if it’s stupid or awkward, if Jared feels the same way about you, he won’t care.” She picked up their paper plates and got to her feet, offering him a hand up. “If you guys are really in love, Jense, isn’t that worth fighting for?”  
  
Jensen looked up, over towards the bookstore kiosk and saw Jared looking back at him. Jared looked away quickly, Adam’s apple bobbing nervously and Jensen felt a surge of affection for him.  
  
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Yeah, it is.”  
  
***  
  
Of course, once Jensen decided that he was going to try and talk to Jared, they were overrun with customers again. It figured with his rotten luck that it would be that way.  
  
Misha had gone on his break and, much to Jensen’s amusement, made a beeline straight for the kissing booth. Thank god it was so close to their own, because that was better entertainment than television.  
  
“Dude, I think you put your dollar in the wrong jar,” Chad said, frowning. “Rosetta’s jar is over there.”  
  
Misha grinned. “Aw, Murray, I put it where I meant.”  
  
“I, but, I d—don’t kiss guys!” Chad sputtered. Misha’s blue eyes widened innocently.  
  
“Not even for charity? You do know this money is going to charity, right? You wouldn’t kiss me to feed a hungry child?”  
  
Chad flushed pink from his nose all the way to the tips of his ears. “Okay, fine! One kiss for charity.” He leaned forward across the table, puckering his lips exaggeratedly. Misha put a gentle hand on his jaw and there was a brief flash of alarm in Chad’s eyes before Misha leaned in and sealed his mouth over Chad’s. It lasted for a good five seconds before Chad jerked away.  
  
“I, uh, um,” he said. A slow grin spread across Misha’s face.  
  
“You’re a credit to starving children everywhere, Murray,” he said, slapping Chad on the shoulder and going to get back in line again. Chad’s blush deepened until he was practically purple and Misha threw him a wink, waving another dollar bill like a flag.  
  
Jensen glanced over at Jared’s lot and saw that he and Genevieve had seen the exchange too, and were laughing uproariously. Jared caught Jensen’s eye and stopped laughing immediately, though there was still an odd half-smile on his face. Jensen smiled tentatively back, inclining his head towards the kissing booth, and Jared started laughing again.  
  
And, for the first time in days, Jensen let himself think that things would maybe be all right again.  
  
***  
  
Afternoon was sliding into evening and Jensen still hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Jared. Besides that one moment earlier with the kissing booth, they hadn’t made eye contact again, and Jensen watched as Jared seemed to slowly sink back into a resigned sort of despair. He decided that as soon as he got a break again, he was going to go over and set things straight.  
  
It seemed like the world was working against him, though, because as soon as he got a break and booked it over to the bookshop’s tables, Jared was nowhere to be seen.  
  
“Hey, um, do you know where Jared went?” he asked Genevieve.  
  
She raised an eyebrow, somehow managing to look intimidating, even though she probably wasn’t even five and a half feet tall. “Why do you want to know?”  
  
“I just really need to talk to him.”  
  
Genevieve shrugged. “I dunno where he is, he went on break. But we’re getting ready to close up soon; it’s gonna be too dark.”  
  
Jensen sighed. “Well thanks anyway.”  
  
She crossed her arms. “You better not hurt him,” she said in a low voice. “Jared’s a really good person and he doesn’t deserve this.”  
  
“I know,” Jensen said quietly. He wandered away, halfheartedly looking for Jared, and somehow wound up at the edge of the little stage that had been set up for Chris’ band. His roommate was playing some soft number he didn’t recognize, Jason and Steve backing him up.  
  
An idea popped into his head as suddenly as if it had been planted there. Jensen was never much for impulse or publicizing his feelings about things, but now that he’d thought of it, he couldn’t get it out of his mind. It was most definitely cheesy and humiliating, and could potentially end awfully, but he was already decided.  
  
“Chris!” he hissed. “C’mere!” He waved his arms a little to get the guitarist’s attention, and Chris moved to the edge of the stage, still playing while Steve took over on vocals.  
  
“What’s up, man?”  
  
Jensen pulled him down and whispered in his ear, Chris nodding along in agreement. When he pulled back, his friend was grinning.  
  
“Shit, Jense, I like it. Here.” He offered Jensen a hand and pulled him up on to the stage. Jason and Steve stopped playing, sensing that something was going on and Chris stepped back up to the microphone.  
  
“Hey, y’all, do you guys know Jensen?” he asked. Some scattered cheers went up from the audience. “He’s one of the baristas at the coffee shop that put this whole thing on tonight!” Another, louder cheer. “Now what you might not know is Jensen’s something of a musician himself. But he’s pretty shy, so if you’d give him a warm welcome, we’d really appreciate it.”  
  
A third cheer went up, louder than the two before and Chris pulled the guitar strap over his head and handed the instrument to Jensen. As he hooked it over his shoulder, Chris shoved him down on a tall stool that had held his water bottle moments before, then stepped back to the back of the stage, whispering something to Jason.  
  
Jensen fiddled with the microphone, adjusting it and trying not to look too hard at how many people were watching him. “Um, hi y’all,” he stammered. “I, uh, I just thought. I wanted to play a song for you tonight…it’s pretty hokey, but, um, it’s dedicated to someone in the audience and I, uh…well, lemme just play it for you.”  
  
He cleared his throat, hoping his nerves weren’t showing too badly and strummed out the first chord. He’d never really been a fan of this song…there was even too much twangy country electric guitar for even his taste, but it sounded better on Chris’ acoustic and he felt himself relax as the music took over.  
  
“ _As you lie in my arms, oh, my heart's on my sleeve. Words come so hard in moments like these. There's feelings I have that are so hard to show, but right now there's one thing I want you to know…_ ” He scanned the audience, but the footlights were too bright to see properly. God, how mortifying was this going to be if it turned out Jared had already gone home? He bit his lip, and kept singing.  
  
“ _As long as the tides ebb, the earth turns, the sun sets…I promise I'll always be true. As long as there's stars over Texas, darling I'll hang the moon for you_.”  
  
Jensen swallowed anxiously, strumming through the instrumental and starting the second verse. Jared was still nowhere to be seen. “ _I know I have stumbled and caused you some tears. When you needed me most, I haven't always been here. I know I'm not always the man I should be, but don't ever wonder what you mean to me_.” He looked up again, and suddenly, Jared was there, at the back of the crowd, making his way forward, but Jensen still couldn’t make out his expression. He dropped his eyes to the strings, heart hammering in his chest. “ _As long as the tides ebb, the earth turns, the sun sets…I promise I’ll always be true_.”  
  
When Jensen dared to look up again, Jared was right at the edge of the stage, looking up at him with an expression so full of love that Jensen thought he might cry. “ _And as long as there's stars over Texas, darling I'll hang the moon for you_.” His hands shook a little as he strummed out the last few notes. “ _Darling, I’ll hang the moon for you_.”  
  
Jensen didn’t even hear the applause as he passed Chris’ guitar back to him and stumbled offstage, adrenaline thrumming through his veins. Jared was waiting for him, carefully out of sight of the crowd with an anxious little smile on his face.  
  
“So, uh…that was pretty swoon-worthy,” he said, before abruptly turning serious. “Did…did you mean it?”  
  
“Every word,” Jensen answered and Jared’s face split into a huge grin.  
  
“And you called me hokey, you gigantic asshole.”  
  
Before Jensen could protest, he was being swept forward into a kiss that felt like coming home. He slid his hands into Jared’s hair and kissed him back, smiling against Jared’s lips.

 


End file.
